Birkhill Castle
by The-Woman-In-White
Summary: For her work as a journalist, Bella goes to live in an old castle for a few months. Edward owns the castle and comes to help her. Together they start to unravel the past of Elizabeth Masen, whom Edward is a descandant of. AH
1. Chapter 1

**1**

I returned home with a smile upon my face. My boss had agreed with my plan and soon arrangements would be made for my trip. Everything would be paid for me and all I had to do was take the plane and go to Scotland. There I would take my residence in an old castle for a few months, writing an article about it. My boss had relatives who owned that castle and after contacting them, she told me I could stay there as long as I wished. I did have to pay some sort of rent, but it wasn't much. In the meanwhile, I would also pay the rent for my appartment in London, where I lived with my good friend, Alice Brandon. I had some money on my savings account and I had done some calculations. I should be able to afford it all.

I got out of the metro station and walked the few yards home. I looked up at our appartment and smiled contently. I would miss it for those few months, as would I miss Alice. We had been living here for some years, moving in straight after we had finished college, where we had met. In college, we immediately became friends, even though we studied very different things. I had studied English Literature and History, she had studied Interior and Clothes Design. We had both finished a few years ago and decided to rent a small appartment in London. It had been expensive, but we had found jobs quickly.

While living in London, Alice had met Jasper Whitlock. He is a fantastic guy and the two fell in love immediately. Jasper is a bit shy, but when you get to know him, he is really kind and I know he loves Alice incredibly. Sometimes I worry that when they go live together, I won't be able to afford an apartment on my own. Alice has often reassured me that she isn't planning on moving in with him yet. She is only twenty-seven and wants to build up her career a bit more. Jasper says the same thing and I should believe them.

I sighed and put the key in the lock and opened the door. I found Alice and Jasper sitting on the couch, watching TV. As I walked in, Alice turned the TV off and smiled at me. "Hey, how did it go?" Alice asked, as I sat down.

"You won't believe it! She accepted and told me she had already contacted her relatives. They are now making the castle ready for my stay and I will be able to leave in a month." Alice smiled and hugged me, excited for me, but I couldn't help notice the hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Of course, I will miss you both so much. But you two will have each other and I will only be gone for a few months. And we will keep contact thoroughly, won't we?" I asked her teasingly.

"Yes, of course! But we will still miss you. Promise me you let me help you shop for new clothes and pack." I rolled my eyes, but agreed.

"Bella, congratulations. It must be great to go to Scotland and live in such an old castle full of mysteries," Jasper said, while smiling at me. I nodded and returned his smile.

"Yes, I'm really excited and a little frightened. It'll probably be scary to sleep in such a large and deserted castle. I can't help but imagine how dark it must be there in the night." Alice laughed and stood up.

"Anyone up for pizza tonight? I think this is something to celebrate." Jasper and I agreed and we all put our coats on.

"I suppose we will go to our usual pizza place?" I asked, while laughing.

"It's not very original, I know. But they do have the best pizza in whole London. I'm sure."

"I can't help but agree with Alice on this one, those pizzas are very tasty," Jasper chuckled. I nodded and opened the door.

"Are we taking the metro?" I asked them. Alice shrugged and looked at Jasper.

"Why not? I suppose it will be busy on the roads." I nodded and we started walking towards the metro station.

In the station I noticed a large advertisement about a new movie. It wasn't the movie that attracted my attention, but the large estate that was in the background of the scenery. I started wondering how the castle I would be living in looked like. I quickly followed Alice and Jasper as I saw they were already far up ahead, afraid I might lose them in the crowd. We got inside a metro and found a place to sit.

"So, Alice, how was your day? We have only talked about mine so far," I said, feeling slightly guilty.

"Oh, that's no big deal. Let me see, I got a new assignment. I have to design a small collection of clothes, so that different companies can see what I'm worth," she laughed. Jasper looked at her with a proud look in his eyes. I smiled and noticed how they were holding hands.

"That's great Alice. Do you have any ideas yet?" She shook her head.

"No, but tomorrow at work I will brainstorm for some ideas. I really need to make this good." Jasper and I both nodded.

"I'm sure it will work out," Jasper said and he gave her a short kiss. She smiled at him.

We got out of the metro and the metrostation. The pizza restaurant was not very far from the station, so within a few minutes we got there. We had discovered this place a year ago and have been going here ever since.

"Is there a table for three?" Jasper asked the waitress.

"Yes, follow me, please." We were guided through the crowded space and were lead to a small table. The waitress gave us all a menu and asked us what we wanted do drink. After we told her what we wanted, she left and we picked up the menu.

"It's actually been quite some time since we've been here, isn't it? I believe more than three months." Alice thought for a while and then nodded.

"I believe it is. Well, then we better make up for it now." I laughed and decided what I wanted to order.

The waitress returned and took our orders. She turned around and walked away, almost bumping into a different table.

"God, I'm starving!" I said. Alice rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Patience, woman," she said.

"But back on the subject of your little trip, Bella. What exectly is it you are going to write while you're there?" Jasper asked me. I sighed and raked my hand through my hair.

"Well you see, that might be a little problem. There is enough to write about that castle, but I really need to decide what. I can write about the building and the environment it stands in. But I can also write about the history of the castle, the families that have lived there. Perhaps, if I'm lucky, there is even an ghost who haunts the castle." I laughed and smiled as the waitress brought our pizzas.

"That _would_ be very exciting. Oh, I do hope there is a ghost," Alice said with an excited glint in her eyes.

"You didn't want to came with me, did you?" Alice frowned and looked at me.

"I would love to go with you and live in a haunted castle for a few months, but there is no way I can get so long off from my job." I nodded and smiled at her.

"I will take pictures and tell you everything about it."

"And we will make sure we are having more fun than her," Jasper said teasingly, squeezing Alice's hand. I rolled my eyes at Jasper and started eating. Alice and Jasper laughed at me and pretended not to see me glaring. I huffed, but gave up and gave them a defeated smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

"Remember you promised to write and tell me everything!" Alice shouted as I was about to board the plane.

"I will, don't worry!" I shouted, hoping she would hear me above all the noise. I faintly saw her nodding and waiving, before she disappeared in the crowd. I firmly grabbed my shoulder-bag – my large suitcase was already in the plane with all the other luggage – and entered the plane. I quickly spotted my seat and put my bag in the cabin above it. As I sat down, a sigh escaped me and I looked out the small, dirty window. My heart was racing as I realised that in one hour I would be in Scotland. The seat next to me was vacant and I secretly hoped it would stay that way. But luck wasn't on my side and a young woman sat down next to me, smiling kindly. I smiled back and offered to help her as her bag got stuck in the small cabin above our seats.

As the bag was properly placed, we both sat down and put our seatbelt on.

"I'm Macy," the woman said and she stuck out her hand. I shook it and introduced myself.

"I'm Isabella, but call me Bella." She smiled at me and retracted her hand.

"Why are you going to Scotland, Bella?" she asked me.

As I opened my mouth to respond, the pilot interrupted me with his voice coming through the speakers. I patiently waited until he was done and then I tried answering her again.

"I'm a journalist and I'm going to live in an old castle there for a few months. During my stay I will write an article about that castle and the experience of living in it." I saw a spark of interest in her eyes as she listened to me.

"Really? That's amazing. I wish I could do something like that, old buildings have always interested me. I'm going to Scotland to live there with my husband. We married a month ago." She smiled and I noticed she was truly happy.

"Congratulations! How wonderful. Perhaps if your near to where I'm staying, you can come to visit me." She looked slightly surprised, but soon a smile covered her face.

"I would love that, thank you. Of course, if it's not too much trouble," she said, remembering her manners.

"No, not at all. I'll probably be quite alone there those few months. It would be great to have some company." I smiled encouragingly and wrote down the address for her. She took the small piece of paper and put it in her pocket.

"I'll give you my phone-number, Macy. So you can call when you're in the neighbourhood and you want to come by. It'd be better if you would give me some advance notice, so I can prepare," I laughed. She nodded and gave me her phone. I entered my phone-number and returned the phone to her.

I suddenly felt that the plane started moving and the stewardesses started explaining the safety rituals. I looked out of the window and saw the runway passing by at high speed.

A small smile crept over my face as I felt the plane lifting and the ground started getting further and further away.

"I bet you're excited," I heard Macy say. I looked at her and saw she wasn't not looking at me, but out of the window.

"I am, really excited. I can't stop wondering what the castle will look like. I do have the name, Birkhill Castle, but my friend stopped me from searching it up. She told me it should be a surprise. I suppose she was right. It's sort of thrilling not knowing what to expect." Macy nodded and gave me a small smile.

"I don't like to say it, but I'm quite jealous." I gave her an incredulous look.

"You? Jealous? There's no need. You are going to live with your husband, who, I am sure, is great. To be together with the one person you love the most is far greater than to live in an old, draughty castle." She rolled her eyes, but seemed to think it over.

"You're right, sort of. It is great to live with him, I know it is. But there's just something mysterious about such an old castle, isn't there?" I nodded while smiling.

"I suppose there is."

The light that told us to keep our seatbelts on turned off and I unclasped my seatbelt. I saw Macy do the same. Soon the stewardesses started walking through the aisles with trolleys full of food and drinks.

"Do you want anything?" Macy asked me, but I shook my head.

"No thanks," Macy said to the stewardess. She nodded and moved on.

I suddenly regretted forgetting to take my book out of my bag. I sighed and continued looking out of the window.

"I suppose we're both a bit bored here, so why don't you tell me something about your life?" Macy suggested. I smiled at her and agreed.

"Well, I grew up in a small village in Kent with my father. My parents got divorced when I was very young. I went to study in London, English Literature and History and now I live in London with my best friend and I work at a magazine. That's pretty much about it." I saw in Macy's eyes that she was expecting something more.

"Wow, English Literature and History, that must have been really interesting. So, do you have a boyfriend?"

_Aha, that's what she was wondering about._

"No, sadly, I don't. I did have a boyfriend during college, but that only lasted two months." I tried to hide the disappointment and sadness in my eyes, but seeing the pity in her eyes, I supposed it hadn't worked.

"Well, you're very young. Perhaps in Scotland?" She suggested smiling. I tried to ignore the fact that she was just three years older and already married.

"Perhaps, who knows."

I yawned and saw Macy grabbing her book. I closed my eyes for a second and opened them again, thinking it rude to fall asleep. But Macy was now fully engrossed in her story and slowly I fell asleep.

As I opened my eyes, I saw the Scottish landscape far beneath us through the window. I saw that the seatbelt-light was on again and I quickly put mine on. Macy was also asleep, her book fallen on the floor. I picked it up and woke her up.

"Macy, you have to put your seatbelt on. I suppose we are going to descend in a few moments." She murmured some incoherent words, but then she opened her eyes and sat up straight.

As she took the book out of my hands, she murmured a 'thank you' and she put her seatbelt on. I chuckled and smiled at her. She raked her hands through her hair, trying to make it look decent. I felt the plane descending and heard the sound of the seatbelt clasps closing.

As I saw the airport, I felt my heart start beating faster.

The plane hit the runway and the plane shook a bit, but besides that everything went smoothly. The plane slowly stopped to a halt and everyone started getting up. Macy got up and started to get her bag from the cabin.

As I tried to get up, I suddenly realised that out of my excitement I forgot to unclasp my seatbelt. But it was too late and I was being jerked back into the seat. I felt a blush creeping up on my face and I slowly unclasped my seatbelt. Macy tried to hold back her laughter and handed me my bag. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the plane, still blushing.

Macy and I walked to the baggage-claim and after we both retrieved our suitcases, said goodbye.

"Do try to visit me, please." Macy nodded and promised.

"Have fun in that castle," she said and smiled at me.

"I will, and say hello to your husband and tell him he's one lucky guy." Macy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you soon, goodbye." She hugged me and I tried to hug her back as good as I could with two bags in my hands.

"Bye!" I watched her turn around and leave the airport.

I sighed and looked around. I supposed I should just rent a cab and go to the address they gave me. I had secretly hoped the owner of the castle would be somewhere here with a sign 'Bella Swan'. But I didn't see him and decided to go outside and find a cab.

I quickly found one and told the driver the address. I ignored the slightly surprised look on his face and sat back on the seat. He drove away from the airport.

It took an hour and a half to get there and my impatience was growing bigger and bigger every minute. I saw the signs with unfamiliar names pass us and I tried to see as much from Scotland as I could.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

The cab stopped in front of a large path that led to the castle. The driver took my bags out of the trunk and drove away. I stood speechless for a while, wondering why he didn't take me to the frontdoor. I sighed and picked up my bags. The path was quite long and the bags were quite heavy, but I supposed I didn't have a choice. I started walking towards the beautiful castle, which was bathing in the sunlight from the setting sun. I paused for a moment and dug in my bag, looking for my camera. I found it and quickly took some pictures of the castle. I put the camera back in my bag and continued my walk towards the castle.

As I finally arrived at the large, mahogany front door, I dropped the bags with a huff and took the key out of the envelope I got from Carlisle Cullen, the owner. A thrilling feeling washed over me as I put the key in the lock and turned it over, hearing the lock open. The door opened noisily and I shuffled inside, feeling a slight draft inside. I put my bags at the bottom of the stairs while looking around the large hallway. I closed the door and turned on the light. The wood glimmered beautifully in the soft light and it took my breath away. I walked through a random door that led to a long hallway. On the walls were old paintings and wall carpets. There were small windows that showed the large garden being beautifully lit by the sun. I leaned towards a window and put my hand against the window, tracing the lines of a large statue in the garden. It was too dark to make out the details. I sighed softly, afraid to disturb the silent peace of the castle.

The hallway led me to a room I supposed was a livingroom. There was a large fireplace and a dark red carpet. The curtains were drawn closed and the room was only lit by the faint light that was hanging on the ceiling. There were quite a few candles, but none of them lit. A coffee table was in the center of the room and a couch and a few chairs were around it.

I went through another door and found myself in the kitchen. In the center was a counter on which a small piece of paper was placed. I turned on more lights and walked towards the counter. I placed myself on a bar chair and picked up the piece of paper. I folded it open and saw a beautiful handwriting covering most of the page.

_Dear Isabella Swan,_

_I would like to welcome you to Birkhill Castle. I am truly sorry me and my husband, Carlisle, can't be here to welcome you properly.  
I have taken the liberty of making your bedroom ready and I have stocked the fridge so you will be able to make some dinner. I have also included the route to the nearest village. There you will find a supermarket and some shops, for if you need anything.  
My son Edward will arrive here in a few weeks to help you with everything. He will not stay for more than a few weeks, so I hope that you don't mind him staying in the castle.  
If there is anything you wish to ask, do not hesitate to call me or Carlisle. Our phone numbers are also included in this note.  
I hope you will enjoy it here and that you will be able to write your article._

_Best wishes,  
Esme Cullen_

I was surprised she had gone through so much trouble to make it comfortable here. I found the phone numbers and route in the envelope. As I opened the fridge, I saw that there was indeed a lot of food. I smiled and decided to make something simple.

I took some spaghetti from a cabin and found some sauce in another cabin. Within minutes I was done and I started eating at the counter. It was nine o'clock and I realised I still needed to call Alice and perhaps my mother and father.

I finished up my spaghetti and cleaned everything. I grabbed the note, phone numbers and route, put it in my pocket and turned off the light from the kitchen. I walked the same way back to the main hall, afraid I would get lost otherwhise and took my bags upstairs. I wasn't sure where my bedroom was, but then I saw a small note on one of the doors saying: _'This is your bedroom, Isabella. I wasn't sure if you would know which chamber it would be yourself.'_

I was convinced Esme was a very sweet woman and I would love to meet her. I didn't know when that would happen, although I did know her son would be here in a few weeks. I hadn't anticipated that, but it didn't bother me either. If he was raised by Esme, he would sure to have good manners. It might even be nice not to be alone the entire time. I smiled and opened the door.

I turned on the lights. My eyes went around the room and I saw a large mahogany closet, a beautiful bed, a small desk, a window and a comfy looking chair. I opened my bag and started unpacking, knowing I probably wouldn't want to do that tomorrow. It didn't take me long. I left the bedroom with my pyjamas and toothbrush.

I quickly spotted the bathroom, the door was open and from the hallway you could easily see it was the bathroom. I went inside and was glad to see there was a shower and a large bathtub. I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, feeling that I was becoming sleepy.

I returned to my bedroom I picked up my phone and dialled Alice's number.

"Hello?" I heard Alice say.

"Hi Alice, it's me."

"Bella! How was your flight? How is the castle?"

"The flight was great, I met a wonderful woman, Macy, she's was really nice and she'll come visit me when she's in the neighbourhood. The castle is just fascinating. Everything is so beautiful!" Alice laughed.

"Great, take pictures for me, will you? But I really need to go to bed now, I'm really tired and I have to work tomorrow."

"Yes, of course. I'm really tired too. Speak to you soon!" She said goodbye and hung up. I yawned and turned off the lights.

I crawled beneath the soft sheets and looked out of the window, the pale moon stood bright against the dark blue sky. It looked beautiful, just like most things did in this mystical castle. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The sound of singing birds awoke me and I yawned, seeing the sunbeams coming through the window, indicating it was quite late. I looked at the clock and saw it is eleven o'clock. It had been a long time since I had slept this long and I smiled. I got up and got dressed. I went to the bathroom and saw that my hair was a total mess, but I didn't seem to care. I brushed it and put it in a ponytail. While contemplating what to do to today, I walked downstairs and tried to find the kitchen again for some breakfast.

The house looked less overwhelming when light from outside was shining through the windows, making all the shadows disappear.

I was feeling quite confident and decided to take a different route this time. I took an unfamiliar door and ended up in a small room with almost no furnishing. Only a large painting on the wall and a singular chair placed in the corner, next to a bookcase. I smiled as I examined the book titles, glad to see some of the classics between them. I quickly decided this would be one of my favourite rooms and I forgot my hunger as I picked one book and sat down, already having started reading.

As I read, I couldn't shake of the feeling I was being watched. Of course, I knew that was nonsense, for I was all alone in this castle. I looked up and glanced across the room until my gaze landed upon the painting. It was a painting of a young woman, beautiful and elegant. She wore an exquisite, red dress and her black hair was pinned up. She wore a neckless and a small smile was on her face, although you could clearly see the sadness in her eyes. Light was falling from a very fortunate corner and it softened her details. But most haunting of all were her beautiful, green eyes. There was a sadness in there that broke your heart.

I placed the book beside me, completely forgotten, and got up. As I walked around the room, I noticed that her eyes followed you. I got closer and looked up at her, feeling pity for her. There was something strong about the way she tried to hide her sadness. On the frame I saw the name _Elizabeth Masen_with the year 1801.

I knew from Carlise Cullen that this house was built in 1780, so if you would assume the family built the house when Elizabeth was just born, she would be twenty-one in the painting. I was interested in her, wanted to know more about her and I decided to see if there was a library in this house.

I left the room, feeling her eyes in my back, and closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

I opened a certain door, but closed it again as I saw it wasn't a library. After having done the entire ground floor, I decided to try upstairs, but I hadn't had any luck yet. I sighed and opened yet another door, my eyes widening as I saw what was inside. An enormous library with numerous bookcases filled the large room. I smiled and quickly walked inside. Alongside the bookcases were couches and in the corner of the room was a large desk with a small light on it. I turned it on and sat down at the desk. I opened the drawers and found all kinds of papers. I suddenly realised how rude it was to snoop inside someone else's desk, but as I saw the name _Elizabeth Masen_, I couldn't stop myself from looking.

It was a newspaper article with a drawing of Elizabeth in the middle. I recognized her immediately, her long black hair and piercing green eyes. I picked up the article from the drawer and started reading a part.

_'Elizabeth Mase__n has killed herself by drowning, as was revealed yesterday afternoon. The police have started investigating, but haven't had any result so far. The family is in deep mourning and haven't made a statement yet. Everyone is shocked and nobody has any idea why this has happened. As is known around the village, Elizabeth had been engaged to Mr Thompson. Mr Thompson has said: 'I have no idea what could have made my poor, dear Elizabeth do this. I am truly shocked and very sad. I hope I can help her family during these very hard times. I am devastated.' Her body will be buried tomorrow in the Birkhill Cemetery.'_

A horrible feeling washed over me, while I wondered why she would have done this. I just couldn't imagine the beautiful woman from the painting as a vulnerable body, gently placed upon the shore by the unforgiving sea.

I carefully placed the article back in the drawer, knowing I shouldn't have read it. I closed the drawer and stood up, turning off the small light. I couldn't get the image of Elizabeth on the beach, drowned, out of my head.

I walked back to the small reading room with her painting and as I opened the door, a cold draft passed me by. I shook my head and walked into the room. The painting was exactly the same, but as I looked at it, the sadness in her eyes takes on a whole different meaning. It was as if that sadness was a clue as to why she drowned herself. I inspected the entire painting, but didn't find another 'clue'. She was sitting on a chair and as I closely inspected the walls behind her, I realised she was in the reading room, the room I was in right then. I looked around, trying to imagine her sitting here, posing for a painter, feeling incredibly sad for some reason. She may have already thought about drowning as she was sitting there. I suddenly wondered _when_ she was drowned, was it shortly after this painting or a few years later?

I walked back to the library and to the desk. I opened the drawer and grabbed the newspaper article. In the top right corner was the date printed, _January 18, 1802_. That was not long after the painting was made. So she was probably already engaged when she was painted. Was that a reason she wasn't happy? Or was there something else?

I started browsing through the drawers, desperate to find something else. A piece of paper on which the name Mr Thompson stood, caught my attention and I picked it up. It was a short letter from John Masen, presumably Elizabeth's father, who wrote to Mr Thompson. It says that he was accepting Mr Thompson's proposal to marry Elizabeth.

_She didn't even had a say in it herself!_ I thought angrily. But that was the way things went back then. As I opened another drawer, I found a wedding document from Elizabeth and Mr Jack Thompson, _November 23, 1801_. Three months later she killed herself. It must have had something to do with Jack. I placed all the papers back and left the desk.

I was so engrossed in the story, I hadn't noticed it had started raining. The rain was crashing into the large windows in the library. I walked to one of them, staring to the large fields and hills. The sky was dark and it was probably going to thunder soon. In the distance I noticed a cemetery, although it was hard to see through the rain. I squinted my eyes and could faintly make out the forms of gravestones. The whole scene was depressing and I turned my eyes away.

I walked out of the library and decided to walk around the castle, finding out more about the rooms.

It seemed a good idea to start downstairs and to work my way up. I walked towards the main hall and choose a door I hadn't had before. I entered a small reception room, where there used to be tea served. I looked around, but found nothing of importance. I remembered to take pictures for Alice and left the room. The next door was slightly more interesting, it was a study. There were some bookcases, but not many. The main feature was the huge desk in the middle of the room. There were incredibly large windows on the wall opposite of the door. If you would sit in the chair, the windows would be at your back and you would face the door. I fought the urge to sit down at the desk and I first examined the bookcases.

There were some really thick books, authors and stories I have never heard of. I picked one randomly and started reading a bit. Soon I got engrossed in the story of a young man, a monk, who travels from England to Rome. My phone started ringing in my pocket and I looked up. I put the book down, noticing I had already read quite a few pages, and I took my phone out of my pocket.

"Bella, honey, hello!" My mother said. I smiled involuntarily.

"Hi mom, how are you?"

"Oh, just fine, nothing special. But how's Scotland? How's the Castle?" I laughed at her enthusiasm and tried to answer.

"Scotland is so beautiful, the landscape is just breathtaking. And the castle is amazing. It's so enchanting and mysterious. I have actually discovered there lived a girl here in 1780 till 1802. She killed herself three months after she was engaged."

"That's a really sad story, did she kill herself because of that engagement?" My mother asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm planning on figuring it out. There's such a beautiful painting of her." My mother laughed softly.

"Don't get to obsessed with her, I know you." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry, mom. But I need to go now. Speak to you soon!"

She said goodbye and I hung up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and I put the book that lay on the chair back in the bookcase, remembering the title for if I wanted to continue reading it later.

The desk was still inviting me to sit on the chair and I walked towards it. I pushed the chair backwards and I sat down on it. There wasn't anything on the desk, except for some pencils and pens, so I quickly opened a drawer. In the first one were only some administration papers. The second one held no more interesting things than the first, but the third one was a surprise. There was a bundle of letters, combined with a soft pink ribbon. I gently picked it up, careful not to brake something. I placed it on the desk and slowly removed the ribbon from the letters. I picked up the first letter and opened it.

It was written by Elizabeth in a very elegant handwriting, the receiver was someone named William Ashton. I started reading the first few sentences, quickly noticing the letter was probably a love letter. Elizabeth was not yet engaged to Jack Thompson, according to the letter, but would soon be. There for the letter was sad and sort of a goodbye to William. I wondered if this was the last letter, instead of the first, and I grabbed the last letter from the pile. In this one Elizabeth was telling William how she enjoyed meeting him and that she wishes to see him again. So I should start at the bottom of the pile. I wondered how rude it would be to read these letters.

I decided to take them with me, remembering where they lay before I took them.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

I took the letters with me to my room and started reading them while sitting down at my own little desk.

_My dearest William,_

_I thoroughly enjoyed last night and therefore I would like to thank you. I particularly enjoyed dancing with you, William.  
I must also compliment you on your excellence of dancing, for I have never seen a man dance better. Of course, this may all sound too flattering, so I will stop now.  
I do hope to see you at the next ball, for if I wouldn't, it's sure to be a dread._

_Kindest regards,  
Ms Elizabeth Masen_

I knew that if I had known Elizabeth, I would've liked her. There's a teasing undertone in the things she writes that I liked. I carefully put the letter back in it's envelope and opened the next one, surprised to see this one was from William. I was wondering how the person that gathered these letters, got them from both people. Elizabeth lived here, so the letters that came here were from William. But the letters Elizabeth sent, must have been at William's home. Perhaps that person knew William and asked for the letters after Elizabeth's dead.

_My dearest Elizabeth,_

_I truly appreciate your compliments, although I'm sure there are men who dance better.  
I too enjoyed dancing with you very much, Miss, if it's not too forward to say so.  
I am most fully expecting to be at the next ball to dance with you, Miss, for I do not wish to do anything else until then. Forgive me, again, for my forwardness.  
I do want to add that I thought you danced best of all people at the ball, dear Elizabeth._

_Best regards,  
William Ashton_

I could fully understand why Elizabeth fell in love with William. He was such a charming gentleman. I put all the letters back and tied the ribbon around them. There was a small drawer in my desk where I could put them. When I had done that, I went downstairs to the kitchen to make my dinner.

I was yawning while I was stirring the pan, my eyes drooping slightly. I wondered how I got so tired, for I didn't do that much. I quickly ate my dinner and showered. Although I was tired, I didn't want to go to sleep yet.

I walked to the study and retrieved the book I had started reading earlier. I got in bed and started reading the book until I could barely stay awake. I put the book on my nightstand and turned off the lights, immediately falling asleep.

That night I dreamt I was Elizabeth. I was walking alongside the seashore, when I was suddenly pulled inside the water, not being able to go up for air, because some sort of arm was holding me down. I kept my breath as long as I could, but I suddenly breathed out and was indulged in a blackness.

I jerked up to a sitting position as I awoke from my dream. I was panting and I told myself to relax. I got up and went downstairs for some breakfast. I couldn't get the dream out of my head, as if it was some kind warning. Maybe I shouldn't be reading those letters and digging in someone else's past.

I got dressed and decided to go check out the garden, for it was finally a sunny day. I put on a jacket and went through the backdoor into the garden.

There was a large lawn with trees providing shades. As I walked further along I got to a small open circle, surrounded by trees. In the middle was a small, white gazebo, covered slightly in ivy.

I walked towards it, seeing a bench in it. I sat down and saw a small plate on the back of the bench. It was slightly rusted, but I could still read _Elizabeth, 1781_. That would mean Elizabeth was born in 1781, so she was 20 in the painting and this gazebo was made for her. I smiled as I looked around. It seemed the whole house was affected by Elizabeth, everywhere there were traces of her existence. I sighed and got up.

I walked back towards the house, in the meanwhile intently looking around the garden, marvelling in its beauty.

As I entered the house, I was surprised to hear footsteps upstairs. I walked to the kitchen and through the window I saw a car on the drive, a silver Volvo. I followed the sound of the footsteps upstairs until they stopped. I was now in the middle of the hallway, listening for any sound my new guest would make. He couldn't have gotten in without a key, but I had no idea who it was and I wasn't told someone would be coming this week.

A tall figure came out of a room and was about to walk the different direction when he spotted me. He looked up and gave me a crooked smile.

_He doesn't seem like a burglar,_ I thought, and I smiled back at him.

"Hello, I'm Bella Swan. May I ask who you are?" I asked, laughing slightly.

"I'm Edward Cullen. I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to be here yet. I hope I haven't frightened you or anything," he said, raising one eyebrow, accusing me that I had been frightened.

"You didn't," I stated. He laughed and somehow the amused look in his eyes slightly annoyed me, knowing I was the reason for it.

"I was actually going to come here in a few weeks, but my… earlier appointment was cancelled at the last minute." I wondered why he changed what he wanted to say in the middle of his sentence, but I let it drop and looked at him. He was handsome, no doubt, with his messy, bronze hair, but something about him alarmed me. There was something familiar about him and I wondered how that was possible. He had the exact same eyes as Elizabeth Masen, exactly the same. I almost couldn't believe it, but it was the same shade green and the same sparkle.

"That's all right, it was getting kind of lonely anyway." I smiled at him and wondered if I should tell him about Elizabeth, but then realised how ridiculous I was being. His family owned this place, so he must know the painting. Maybe Elizabeth was just his great- great grandmother. But wait… she never had children, did she? She married Jack and three months later she died, she couldn't have had an illegitimate child in the few months she courted with William. But perhaps Edward was a descendant of her brother. That would explain it. But then why is his last name Cullen? I decided I couldn't figure it out and left it.

"Do you want to drink something?" I asked him, again realising this castle was owned by his family, so it might be weird if _I_ ask _him_ if he wants to drink something.

He chuckled and nodded. We went downstairs and I made him some tea. While we drank, we talked about some unimportant things as the weather and my trip here. I wasn't sure yet if I should discuss the whole Elizabeth-subject with him yet.

The fact that I was slightly attracted to him, didn't make it easier. He was very handsome and also very kind. I wondered how long he was going to stay here. I wouldn't mind it if he stayed for longer than a few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

I woke up from the sound of footsteps walking through the hallway. I heard Edward going inside the bathroom and a few moments later I heard the sound of running water. I turned around and looked at the clock, noticing it was 8 o'clock. I decided to get up also.

I got dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast for Edward and me. While I was cooking, he came downstairs, his hair still damp from the shower. He sat down on the bar chair and smiled at me. I raised one eyebrow, but he didn't respond.

"Good morning, Bella," he said.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" Last night he had gone to bed early, saying he was tired from his journey.

"Great, it's really good to be back here again." He smiled as he looked around the kitchen. I nodded and put some food on a plate for him.

As I handed it to him, he thanked me and started eating.

"So, how do you like Birkhill Castle?" he asked me after we had finished eating.

"It's such a beautiful castle, I really like it here. And the garden is beautiful too. Especially the little gazebo," I told him.

"Yes, I know what you mean. Do you know what your article is going to be about?" I decided to just tell him about Elizabeth, he might be able to tell me more about it. Although I made this decision, I still felt sad. It felt as if Elizabeth Masen was my little secret and now I had to share it.

"I do have an idea. I saw the painting of Elizabeth Masen in one of the rooms and she intrigued me." I saw Edward looking slightly surprised and uncomfortable.

"I know the painting, she's beautiful, isn't she?" There was a strange look in his eyes, but I couldn't place it.

"Yes, she is." I almost mentioned her eyes, but realised that would be awkward. I wanted to tell him about the letters, but telling him I had been snooping around in someone else's desk wasn't a good idea.

"I also saw the gazebo is made for her, her name was on a bench. Was she born in 1781?" Edward nodded, slightly surprised I knew that.

"Yes, her parents moved here when her mother was pregnant. They made the gazebo and lived here until Elizabeth died." He didn't mention that she had killed herself.

"Where did they move after Elizabeth had died?" I asked him.

"I believe they bought a smaller house near Edinburgh."

"And what happened to the house? Did it stay vacant all those years or did relatives live here?" He seemed to think about it for a moment and then looked back at me.

"Elizabeth's brother went to live here with his wife. Actually, that's the reason I now own this place. I'm descendant from her brother." I had been right with my assumption! I knew his eyes weren't a coincidence. But did he say he owned the castle? I thought Carlisle owned it. He saw my confusion.

"Carlisle and Esme adopted me when I was little, my actual last name is Masen. Like Elizabeth. When I turned eighteen, they told me I had inherited this place and some money."

"That explains a lot, you know. Your eyes, for example." He laughed and gave me an amused look.

"My eyes?"

"Yes, they look exactly the same as Elizabeth's eyes." He nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose you're right."

"Well, anyway, enough about Elizabeth. What are you going to do today?" I had no idea what to do and was interested in what he did while he was here.

"I was actually planning on going to the sea, it's not far from here. Do you want to come with me?" I sharply inhaled and hoped he didn't notice it. The sea wasn't far from here. That must the place Elizabeth drowned. Did I want to go there? I would like to spent some time with Edward and perhaps it would be good for my 'investigation' about Elizabeth's life to go there.

"Yes, I would like that." He smiled and got up.

"I'll go get our coats. Fortunately the weather is nice today, you don't have that very often in Scotland." I laughed and also got up.

As he went to get our coats, I cleaned our plates.

"Ready to go?" He asked me as we were both in the hallway. I nodded and he opened the door. We walked to the Volvo and I was surprised as he opened the door for me. I smiled at him and got in.

"We will be there within twenty minutes," he told me and he started the engine.

While we were driving there, I looked out of the window and saw the beautiful Scottish scenery pass by.

"Are you from Scotland? You don't have a Scottish accent." He laughed and looked at me.

"No, I'm from England."

"Yeah, me too." We fell into a comfortable silence.

As we arrived, I was surprised to see we were standing on large cliffs and if you looked down, the sea was pretty far away. I wondered if Elizabeth just walked into the sea or jumped from a cliff like these. I shuddered at the thought of Elizabeth jumping of a cliff in the night, her long dress moving in the wind as she would fall.

Edward gave me an questioning look.

"It's nothing," I said, trying to sound indifferent.

"It's really beautiful here," I told him. He nodded and agreed. I looked around and decided to sit down and enjoy the sunlight. I closed my eyes and as I opened them, I saw Edward stare at me. He quickly looked away and also sat down.

"So, tell me something about yourself. Brothers, sisters?" He asked me.

"No, only child. My parents divorced when I was little. I work at a magazine, as you know. I have a really great friend, Alice. We have lived together for a few years. She has a boyfriend, Jasper. He's very nice. I don't have a boyfriend. I studied English Literature and History in London and I met a very kind woman on the plane. That's about it, I suppose." He gave me a crooked smile.

"How about you?" I asked him.

"Well, I'm also only child. My parents are still together and very happy. They will probably come by sometime to meet you. My hobby is photography and as a job I work at a large company that publishes books. I have two very great friends, Emmett and Rosalie. They are engaged and live together. I live alone and have no girlfriend. Actually Emmett and Rosalie are coming by next week. Would you mind that?"

"No, not at all. I would love to meet them," I told him, smiling.

I had cursed myself when my heart had skipped a beat when he had told me he didn't have a girlfriend.

"Good, I'm sure they would like to meet you too." I nodded. I took a deep breath and looked out over the sea. Since the moment I had arrived here, Scotland had surprised and captured me. Besides the bad weather, which we also had in England, it was perfect here. I suddenly remembered the small village Esme told me about.

"I think I'm going to visit the village near the castle tomorrow. I don't know what you were planning to do tomorrow, but if you want to come, that would be fine," I said, hoping he would want to come along.

"Well, I didn't have plans for tomorrow yet and I would love to go the village. I suppose we need to buy some food," he laughed. I nodded and laughed along with him.

The rest of the afternoon we spent talking and getting to know each other. The sun was already starting to set and it started getting colder.

"I think we should go back to the castle." I agreed and we stood up and walked to the car. Again he opened the door for me and I thanked him.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

After we had arrived home and had dinner, we went to the living room. Edward had stoked up the fireplace and now we were both sitting on the couch opposite of the fireplace. I was reading the book from the study –Edward had laughed when I had apologized and he had told me that it was fine if I wanted to grab a book from the library or the study– and he was working on his laptop.

I sighed in contentment and flipped the page. The room had gotten comfortably warm. I was sitting close to Edward and could feel his warmth. I had the urge to lay my head on his shoulder, but I controlled it.

I was looking forward to going to the village with Edward tomorrow. I noticed I only had one more chapter to read and I closed the book, wanting to save it for tonight. Edward looked at me as I placed the book on the coffee table.

I remembered the letters I had upstairs and although I really enjoyed being close to Edward, I also wanted to go read the letters. I looked at him and saw he was busy working, so I got up.

"I'm going upstairs, goodnight." Edward looked up.

"Goodnight, sweet dreams." He gave me a crooked smile and I felt my knees go weak. I opened the door and walked into the hallway, willing my heart to stop beating so fast.

In my room, I took the letters out and started reading where I left off the last time.

_Dearest William,_

_I must thank you for the great evening I had yesterday. I dare say I have never enjoyed a ball more.  
__Even so, I feel I must tell you that my father has arranged a wedding for me. I am to marry Mr Jack Thompson in the near future, for he is of good birth and has a large fortune.  
__My heart does not content with this, but unfortunately it has nothing to say in this matter.  
__Please forgive me if I have led you on too much, so that this news may cause you pain.  
__This advantageous marriage is something I cannot prevent and for I cannot say this in a few months, I will say it now. I sincerely enjoyed being around you and you have stolen my heart. Perhaps you do not wish to hear it, but it needs to be told. I will forever mourn the fact that I cannot be with you._

_For always yours,  
__Elizabeth_

I seemed to get more and more insight in her life and as to why she killed herself. She was in love with William, but engaged to Jack. She must have been devastated when she married Jack and perhaps she couldn't bear living with him for the rest of her life. With a beating heart I opened William's respond to this.

_My dearest Elizabeth,_

_You surely must know by now that I may have stolen your heart, but you have also stolen mine. I cannot provide you the things Mr Thompson can, for I do not have a good fortune. But I can offer you love of the greatest kind. You may not be able to prevent this marriage, but till the moment you say 'I do', remember how you hold my heart. Even after you are married will I love you and dream of your beauty.  
__Forgive me for not saying this before, you must know I understand how hard this must be for you.  
__Please know I do not hold a grudge against your dear father or Mr Thompson. I love you too much to do.  
__I must end this letter with pain in my heart, for I do not want to make this any harder for you than it already is. My love for you is greater than you can imagine and it will never fade._

_Eternally yours,  
__William_

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I put the letter back in the envelope. Suddenly someone knocked on my door and opened it. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights as I sat on the ground with the letters in my lap, looking at Edward. He smiled at me and than looked at the letters.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, I wanted to say goodnight." He curiously eyed the letters, but didn't ask about it.

"I wanted to tell you about these before," I told him, holding up the letters.

"I found them in the study, they're from Elizabeth and William." He looked confused for a moment.

"You found them in the study?" I had feared for this. I wanted to cry, but held my tears.

"Yes, I'm so sorry! I know it's wrong, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to know more about Elizabeth and then I saw these letters. I was so curious." He smiled at me and I felt myself relax.

"It's fine, don't worry. It's not a secret or anything, I think. I actually didn't even know about them. It's my fathers study and he hasn't been there in years. The desk that stands there has stood there for years. I'm not even sure my father has opened those drawers," he said, laughing. I sighed, feeling incredibly relieved. He walked to towards me and sat down beside me. I eyed him suspiciously, but he just smiled.

"What's in those letters? Whose William?" I was surprised he didn't know about him.

"William Ashton. They fell in love just before Elizabeth got engaged to Jack Thompson. Her father had arranged that wedding, but Elizabeth wasn't happy about it. I assume that might be the reason she killed herself." His eyes snapped up, slightly startled.

"She killed herself?" Now my eyes widened.

"You didn't know about that? I'm sorry. I read a newspaper article that I found in the desk in the library. It said that in January of 1802, Elizabeth's body was found on the shore." He looked around warily.

"How did they know she killed herself?" I hadn't wondered about that.

"I don't know, the man who wrote the article just said it, he didn't even doubt it." Edward nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I suppose we can always try to figure it out. Perhaps she was murdered, that would be interesting." I laughed along with him and put the letters back in the drawer.

"If you ever want to read anything, I recommend them. The last few are love letters, really romantic and sad." I sighed and he gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I will, they quite interest me." I agreed with him and got up.

"How about tomorrow, after we return from the village, we will do some research?" I suggested.

"Yes, I would like that." He also got up and I walked him to the door. He turned around and faced me. The look in his eyes once again made my knees go weak. He leaned in slightly and put my hair behind my ear.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered. It seemed as if he wanted to kiss me, but at the last moment he seemed to rethink himself and he started walking away.

"Sweet dreams!" I called after him and he turned around for a second to smile at me. I returned his smile and closed the door, falling on the bed with a sigh. I almost couldn't believe it, but I was falling in love with Edward Cullen.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

The next morning we got up early and went to the village. We had to buy food and I was eager to check out the other small shops.

When we arrived, there weren't many people shopping yet and it was all very quiet.

"Beautiful little village, isn't it?" Edward asked me as he opened the door from a small music store.

"Yeah, it definitely is." I walked inside and started browsing through the CD's. After a while we left the shop and walked towards a restaurant for some breakfast.

We sat down and grabbed the menu. I ordered an omelet and Edward decided to do the same.

"You know, I couldn't stop thinking about Elizabeth and William last night. I suppose I can understand why you are so intrigued by them," Edward said.

"Yes, I can't wait to find out more about them. I pondered the options last night and came up with two logical options. One, she killed herself because she was in love with William, but had to be with Jack. Or two, Jack killed her because he found out about William. What do you think?" He seemed to think about it for a moment.

"I think you're right, but we'll probably find out for sure what happened when we search around the house for clues." I nodded, my expression thoughtful.

"Do you know when Emmett and Rosalie are coming to visit?" I asked him, remembering our previous conversation.

"I don't know for sure yet, in a couple of days, I suppose." The waiter brought our food and we started eating.

"I really enjoy it here, the castle is great and there's this whole story to entertain me. I'm definitely going to include that in my article, if that's fine with you?"

"Yes, of course, it would be great if you did that. I'm glad you enjoy it here," he said, smiling. We finished our meal and got up.

"Where do you want to go next?" Edward asked me. I looked around and spotted a small park.

"We could go there?" I suggested, pointing at the park. Edward nodded and we started walking there.

The park was small, but still really amazing. There were small paths made through the trees and in the middle was a small, round opening with a fountain. Edward and I strolled through the paths until we found a bench and sat down.

"How often do you stay at the castle?" I asked him.

"Not very often, sometimes during the holidays I come here with my parents."

"Do Emmett and Rosalie live in London?"

"Yes, we met in college there and have been friends ever since. They started living together four years ago and got engaged a year later."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them, they sort of remind me of Alice and Jasper. Perhaps when we are all in London, we can arrange a meeting with the six of us." Edward smiled at me and seemed to like the idea.

"Yes, that would be nice." I nodded and turned to face the park. I noticed Edward and I were sitting quite close. We fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each others company.

"Let's continue shopping," I said after a while. He nodded and got up. We visited a few small shops and then went to the supermarket.

"I'll admit I don't have much experience when it comes to doing the groceries," Edward told me with an amused expression. I laughed and linked arms with him.

"That's all right, I'll help you." I grabbed a basket and we started walking down the aisles. We threw in random stuff that we liked and soon our basket was full.

"Are you sure we're going to need this?" I asked Edward, pointing at all the cookies and chocolate he had thrown in.

"Well, not necessarily _need_ it…," he said, giving me an innocent look. I rolled my eyes and continued walking.

"I think we're done," I said, looking at the basket. Edward agreed and we went to pay.

During the ride home, I almost couldn't keep my eyes off of Edward for some reason, but still tried, not wanting to look like some creep.

"That was fun," Edward commented.

"Yeah, it actually was." Edward looked at me and raised one eyebrow.

"Had you expected it to not be fun?" He said, feigning being hurt. I laughed and gave him an amused look.

"Keep your eyes on the road." He huffed, but directed his gaze towards the road nonetheless.

We arrived home and unpacked the groceries.

"So, where will we start searching for clues?" I asked him.

"Well, perhaps in the bedroom that used to belong to her." I turned to face him.

"That's a very good idea, I didn't think of that."

"Don't look so surprised," he said, laughing as he started walking upstairs. I quickly followed him. He opened a door at the end of the hallway. The furniture was covered in sheets and the blinds were closed. Edward pulled the sheet off of something and I sneezed as the dust started flying around. I looked at Edward and saw he had uncovered a large, wooden chest. He tried to open it, but found it was locked. I decided to open the blinds, because it was quite dark in the room. As I opened them, sunlight streamed in. I could make out the forms of the bed and the closet. I decided to take the sheet off of what I assumed would be a night stand. It was indeed a night stand and I opened the drawer, hoping to find a key.

"Have you got anything?" Edward asked me. I looked inside and saw nothing but a small, leather bound book.

"Just a book," I said and I picked it up. I sat down on the bed and Edward came to sit down beside me. I carefully opened it and gasped when I saw what it was.

"Her diary," I whispered.

"I'm not sure if we should read this," Edward said. I agreed and put it back.

Edward had taken the sheet off the closet and the bottom drawer was opened.

I pointed towards it. "Something in there?" Edward smiled and held up a rusty key. I returned his smile enthusiastically and we both walked towards the chest. He put the key in there and smiled wider as we both heard it unlock. He opened the chest and was met by some white, linen bed sheets. I sighed disappointed and looked at him.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure we will find something else," he said. We searched around the room for a while, but didn't found something else. I found my gaze kept shifting towards the nightstand or the chest every once in a while. While Edward was searching through her bookcase, I walked to the chest. I picked up the linen bed sheets and put it on the bed. I saw a faded yellow envelope on the bottom of the chest and my heartbeat accelerated.

"Edward, come see this!" He turned and come to me, his eyebrows furrowed. As he stood next to me, I slowly opened it to find an old letter. The letters were slightly faded and it had started to rip on the places it had been folded, but it was still readable. I looked at Edward, who had a thoughtful look upon his face.

"Shall we read it?" I asked him. He sighed.

"Yes, let's read it." We sat down on the bed again and he started reading out loud


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

_October, 1801  
__Dear diary, _

_I have some dreadful news to tell you. I found out I am pregnant! William is the father. I haven't told him yet. I knew we shouldn't have made love that evening, but my mind was clouded and I couldn't make rational decisions. What am I to do?  
__I can't tell my father, he'll be so angry with me. Perhaps I can tell my sister, but she could never understand.  
__I have also just heard my sister-in-law, the wife of my brother Edward, is pregnant. What are the odds. I can talk to her, but she might tell Edward and he'd be so disappointed in me.  
__I do already love my baby, but what will happen when Mr Thompson finds out? He will never forgive me and he will never let the baby stay with us.  
__My heart is torn, dear diary, I do not know what to do. In my mind I know there are only two options. I either try to hide my pregnancy, which will be impossible to do, considering I am to marry Mr Thompson in four months and then we will have our wedding night. It is impossible he would not notice it then. My other solution is one I'd rather not talk about, for it is so very horrible.  
__I'm trying not to cry, for the maid will hear me if I will. I never expected this to happen. I had accepted the fact I would never be happy in my marriage, but I could have at least tried to be content. Mr Thompson could have been a very loving husband. Now that prospect is gone. I can't see what will happen in my future. I will have to make a decision soon, but I am so afraid! I can't bear the thought something will happen to my baby or William._

_Elizabeth_

The page was ripped out of her diary and placed here, underneath the linen, presumably so that no one would find it.

I felt so sad for Elizabeth, I couldn't even fathom what she must've been going through at that time. A month after she wrote this, she killed herself.

I took a deep breath and looked at Edward, seeing the sadness I felt reflected in his eyes.

"This is horrible," I whispered. He nodded and grabbed my hand, gently squeezing it.

"She must have been desperate," Edward said. I stood up and walked towards the nightstand. I opened the drawer and took out the diary. Flipping the pages, I looked for the place the page was torn out. I found the place at the end of the diary. Next to the place the page had been ripped out was only one more page where she had written something, the following pages were all blank. I took the diary to Edward and showed him the last thing she wrote.

___January 10, 1802  
__Dear diary, _

_This will be the last time I write to you, I apologize for that. My stomach is rapidly growing and I find it keeps getting harder to hide it. I have received a few looks from women, most of them have been pregnant, so perhaps they recognize the signs. My fear is growing along with my stomach, it has now reached a point I can hardly bear it any more.  
__I have not told William yet, but I will send him letter before this week is over. He needs to know, before I will not be there anymore to tell him.  
__I have decided upon option two, how hard to accept it may be. I have never felt more guilty about anything, knowing I will end not only my life, but also the life of my baby. I love it with all my heart and the only consolation I have, is that his or her life would be terrible, would he or she be born.  
__I will make sure that this page will be hidden along with my previous entry, it will be the first thing I do tomorrow.  
__Thank you for your support throughout the years._

_Elizabeth_

"Why didn't she hide this entry in the chest as she said she would?" I asked Edward.

"I don't know, something must have happened that prevented her from it." I nodded and placed the torn out page back in the diary.

"I also wonder why she didn't write anything during the time she got engaged to Jack," I said.

"Yes, me too. How regular were the earlier entries?" I flipped through the pages and smiled slightly as I saw that sometimes she hadn't written for months.

"Fairly unregular," I said, laughing. I placed the diary back in the drawer and went to leave the room.

"I'm going to bed, it's been a long day," I told him. Edward got up, brushed the dirt off his clothes and followed me. We paused in front of my door. Edward looked in my eyes, a smile on his face. He once again brushed some of my hair behind my ears, but this time he let his hand rest against my cheek. His eyes searched mine, looking for permission. I gave a barely noticable nod and he started leaning towards me. His soft lips met mine and a soft sigh escaped my lips. My hands went around his neck and I let my fingers run through his hair. His arms sneaked around my waist and pulled my closer to him. His tong ran across my lower lip, begging for entrance. I opened my mouth and he deepened the kiss. We slowly broke apart and smiled at each other.

"Goodnight, Bella," he said, a sly smile on his face. I rolled my eyes teasingly, but smiled back nonetheless.

"Goodnight," I told him and I closed the door.

Once again, I dreamt I was Elizabeth. I was wearing a long, white dress and as I looked down, I saw I had a large belly. I was standing on a very high cliff. The sky above the sea was dark and threatening, the sky behind me was blue and peaceful. I was facing the sea and as I turned around, I saw William on my right and Jack on my left. William was smiling at me, beckoning me to come to him. Jack had an evil grin on his face and his dark eyes frightened me. I wanted to walk towards William, wrap my arms around him, but as soon as I had set one foot towards him, Jack pushed me and I fell of the cliff. I caught one last glimpse of William, only to see he had changed in Edward and he had a terrified expression on his face.

I woke up, feeling the sweat on my forehead. It felt as if it was very warm in the room, but I knew it was just me. My heart was racing and my hands were gripping the sheets so tight, the skin around my knuckles was white. I stood up and went to the bathroom for some water, but ended up laying my head against the cold stone from the bath tub.

The next morning I woke up, still in the bathroom, shivering from the cold. As I tried to stand up, I felt very stiff and my neck hurt really bad. I stretched out a little, hearing my bones crack. I heard Edward knock on the door and I quickly regained my posture.

"Are you all right?" He asked me. I opened the door and stood next to him.

"Yes, I'm fine. I had a nightmare and when I woke up I was really warm, so I went to bathroom for some water, but I ended falling in sleep there." He smiled sympathetically and we both went downstairs.

"What kind of nightmare?" He asked me and I tried to explain it as good as I could, although I did leave the part that William turned in Edward out.

"I didn't know the story affected you so much," he told me.

"No, me neither," I said, laughing slightly. We both sat down on a bar chair, facing each other.

"But you're sure you're fine?" He asked me again. I sighed teasingly and gave him an amused look.

"Yes, I'm absolutely fine. Thank you." He nodded and leaned in for a short kiss.

"Shall I make breakfast today?" He suggested. I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"_You_ will make breakfast? I didn't even know you could cook. Are you sure I can trust you in the kitchen?" I said, laughing as I tried to imagine him cooking.

"Well, if you don't believe me, I guess I'll have to show you." He started getting things out of the cabins and the fridge, not minding me laughing every now and then. Soon he was busy making the batter for pancakes and didn't notice me sneak up behind him. I took a handful of flower and threw it at him. He stopped mixing the batter and gave me a surprised look.

"You did _not_ just to that." He said, as I tried to stiffly my giggles. He looked at me, then at the flower and then at me. I stopped giggling and slowly backed away from him. He grabbed some flower in his hand and started running after me. He was faster than I was and soon we were both covered in flower. I couldn't stop my laughing every time I looked at him. He wiped some of the flower from his face and continued cooking.

"I want to make it up to you, shall I help you cooking?" I offered.

"Sure, I would appreciate that," he said, trying to sound serious. I rolled my eyes teasingly and started making french toast. I looked at Edward and realised I loved this man with all my heart.


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

The next few days passed quickly, nothing of importance happened and soon I woke up and realised Emmett and Rosalie could be here any moment. I quickly got up and put some of my nicer clothes on, wanting the first impression to be a good one.

As I came down, I noticed Edward had already made us breakfast. We had divided the task of cooking fairly, he would do breakfast and I would do dinner. Sometimes we made lunch together and sometimes we would go to near villages to eat something. It all worked out perfectly and I was really enjoying my time with Edward. It was hard to believe I had only been here for a little over two weeks.

I knew I had to start writing my article soon, but I first wanted to find out a little bit more about Elizabeth. Only, I wasn't sure there was more to find out. It could very well be that no one wrote down exactly what happened and then we would never find out.

I sighed and entered the kitchen, smiling as I saw Edward, looking as breathtakingly handsome as ever.

"A very goodmorning," Edward said, smiling, with a cup of coffee in his hand and another one on the counter in front of him. He saw me looking at it and handed it to me.

"Thank you. So, I assume you're so happy because Emmett and Rosalie are coming, am I right?" I took a sip from the coffee and sat down beside Edward.

"Yes, that's right. I haven't seen them in a long time." I nodded and suddenly felt guilty for not having called Alice for four days. Edward told me Emmett and Rosalie would come in a few minutes, so I excused myself and went to the room with Elizabeth's painting to call Alice.

"Hello?" I heard her voice say. The second I heard her, I realised how much I missed her. I shouldn't let my new relationship with Edward be any harm towards my relationship with Alice, I decided.

"Hi Alice, it's me."

"Bella, I haven't spoken to you in days. How's it going? Anything happened with Edward yet?" I laughed, shaking my head.

"It's going great. Edward and I are together, though not officially, I suppose. Well, anyway, it happened a few days ago. He just came to say goodnight and we kissed," I heard Alice squeal with excitement.

"That's great! He lives in London, right? I really need to meet him when you two are back here." I laughed, realising how predictable she could be.

"Yes, we already talked about that. Friends of him are coming over today, they also live in London. We thought it might be a good idea to all do something together when we're back."

"Yes, that'd be great! And anything about Elizabeth Masen? Are you still obsessed with her?" I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm not obsessed, you know. It's just very interesting. Just the other day, we discovered she was pregnant from William, a man she was in love with. But she would marry in four months with a certain Jack, whom she didn't love. Isn't that sad and romantic? I'm definitely going to give that story a large part in my article, which I have yet to write."

"Well, good luck with it. It's a sad story, indeed. But you said 'we discovered', is Edward helping you?'" Alice noticed every single detail.

"Yes, he is. He is a descandant from Elizabeth's brother, so it's only logical he's interested." Alice agreed and said she needed to go, she was going out with Jasper.

"Say 'hi' to him for me," I said and we hung up. Edward knocked on the door and came in.

"Emmett just called and said that they will be here in ten minutes. Thought you might liked to know." I thanked him and left the room with him, throwing one last glance towards Elizabeth, whose face had gotten so familiar.

Edward and I sat down in the kitchen, from wich you could see the drive and the long path that lead there. I remembered when I first came here and had to walk all the way down that path with my heavy suitcases. It brought a small smile to my face.

We talked about some random things, sipping from our tea.

We heard a car engine and we both looked up and saw a car stopping in front of the house. Edward smiled, got up and rushed towards the front door. I followed him and waited for Emmett and Rosalie to come in.

"Hello, Emmett, Rosalie! It's so good to see you," Edward said as he let them in. They smiled back at him and then looked at me.

"So you must be Bella," Emmett said and he come over to. Emmett was very tall and big, he had a lot of muscle. I wasn't sure either to be afraid of his size or happy to see him because he was Edward's friend. I half expected him to stick out his hand for me to shake, but he completely surprised me when he hugged me. He was very strong and lifted my slightly off the floor. I could hardly breath and thankfully Rosalie noticed.

"That's enough, Emmett," she laughed. She come towards me and gave me a look that said 'he's hopeless'. I smiled at her.

"Don't mind him, he does that with everybody." I laughed and started to like her immediately.

"Do you guys want to eat or drink something?" I asked them and we all went to the kitchen. I poured in some of the tea I had made before in four cups and gave everyone a cup. We all sat down around the dinner table.

"So, how's life in London?" Edward asked Emmett.

"The same as when you left, a party every night and a hangover every morning," he said, laughing and winking at me. I felt a slight blush on my cheeks and turned my face away.

"Good to know," Edward said, laughing as he looked at me. I gave him a warning glare and turned my gaze to Rosalie.

"So, Rosalie, how did you and Emmett meet?" Rosalie smiled and looked at Emmett.

"Well, I was getting coffee at Starbucks and as I turned around with coffee in my hand, I bumped into Emmett. I spilled coffee all over his shirt and offered to help him. From then on, we just started to get to know each other and going out together."

"You forgot to tell that my favorite shirt, the one you spilled coffee all over, was completely ruined," he said, feigning sadness. Rosalie slapped him on his arm teasingly and rolled her eyes.

"Thankfully, it was one of the most hideous shirts I've ever seen," she said, teasing him. He feigned shock. Edward and I exchanged a look.

Rosalie laughed when she saw us. "Sorry, we can be a bit of a handful sometimes."

"It doesn't matter, it's nice to have some commotion here," Edward said.

"So, what are we going to do for dinner?" Emmett said and I laughed at his impatience.

"We can go out to a restaurant, if you would like," I told him. Everyone agreed and we quickly finished are drinks.

We took Edward's car and soon we were in the village. I walked next to Rosalie, Edward and Emmett were walking in front of us.

"Have you been in this castle before?" I asked her.

"No, this is the first time. Perhaps you will show me around some time, if you wouldn't mind."

"I would like that," I told her as we arrived at the restaurant.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that Rosalie is a bit OOC, but I like her this way :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

"Emmett, you can't be serious!" I said, laughing as he searched for the waiter. He had already eaten two different main courses and was now claiming he wanted a third.

"You won't believe how much he is able to eat in one night," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes as she looked at Emmett, who had now succeeded in getting the waiter's attention.

"I think I will, if he manages to finish his third main course," I told her. I watched in awe as Emmett ordered another meal. The waiter looked surprised and slightly unbelieving. He looked around the table to see us all smiling angelically at him. He wrote down Emmett's order and left the table, looking slightly wary and confused.

"Emmett, you scared the waiter," Edward said, also laughing.

"I can't help it that I need a lot of food to fill my stomach," he said, looking around the table with a serious expression.

"Well, you have my admiration if you can eat your third course and a dessert," Edward told him.

"I can," he said, grinning like a ten-year old. Rosalie sighed exasperated and took a sip from her wine.

"Come on Rosie, you know you love me," Emmett said, throwing his arm around her and continuing to smile like a child. She rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile.

The waiter came back with a full plate of food and placed it in front of Emmett. He walked away, but I noticed he didn't go far and he kept his eye on Emmett. He was probably wondering if Emmett could actually eat another plate.

Emmett started eating, oblivious to what happened around him and I couldn't help but giggle. Rosalie looked at me questioningly and I discreetly looked in the direction of the waiter. She understood, followed my gaze and also laughed.

Emmett had been goofing around all evening and I hadn't had this much fun during dinner for a long time.

Emmett finished his plate and we all sighed relieved as we were handed our dessert menu's. We all ordered something -I didn't even try to look surprised as Emmett ordered a large dessert- and continued our conversation.

"You really need to meet my friends, Alice and Jasper. I'm sure we could all get along really well. When are you returning to London?" I asked Rosalie.

"I'm not sure yet, I suppose when you kick us out of the castle," she said, laughing as she saw my surprised face. "I think we will leave whenever it suits us. We like being here, but we can't stay away from our jobs too long. When are you going back to London, Bella?"

I sighed, "In a few months, after I finish my article. I'm starting on it tomorrow, writing about Elizabeth Masen." She nodded. I felt Edward's hand intertwining with mine and I smiled at him. He smiled back, a spark in his eyes. I regretfully turned my gaze back towards Rosalie, afraid she might feel left out. Emmett was now completely enraptured by the large aquarium next to our table. I laughed and saw him turn his gaze towards us, slightly dazed.

Our desserts arrived and we all started eating immediately, because during the time Emmett had eaten his other two main courses, we had gotten slightly hungry again. Emmett finished first, earning our admiration. He sipped from his water and looked around the restaurant. Emmett was, just like a child, easily distracted.

"Rosalie, I was wondering, what do you do for a living?" I asked her.

"I'm the manager of a large shopping centre. It demands a lot of time, but I love doing it."

"Really? That's impressive." She laughed and waved it off. I looked at Emmett.

"I'm a financial adviser at a large company," he told me, surprising me a little. I hadn't expected him to be something like that. We all finished our desserts and split the check.

On our way back to the car, Edward and I held hands and I laid my head on his shoulder. Being here with Edward, Rosalie and Emmett made me happy. The only things missing were Alice and Jasper.

In the car, I realised I was quite tired, but I tried staying awake, talking to Rose.

At the castle, we all went our separate ways, after we had shown Emmett and Rosalie their bedroom. I took a shower and brushed my teeth, after which I went into my bedroom and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up late in the morning with a headache. I didn't want to get up and decided to stay in bed for a few more minutes. Eventually I got up and took some tylenol. I hadn't drinken much alcohol the night before, so I realised it must be an ordinary headache. I got dressed and went downstairs.

Everybody else was already up and they were watching TV in the livingroom. I joined them and lay on the couch, wanting my headache to go away.

"Bella, are you all right?" I heard Edward's concerned voice say. I mumbled something incoherent and a few moments later felt his hands on my forehead. It felt really nice and I wanted his hands to stay there, but he used his hands to lift my head slightly and he asked me to open my eyes. I did as he asked and saw his green eyes looking into mine, concern and worry evident in his.

"Do you want some water?" he asked and I nodded slightly. I heard that someone dimmed the sound from the TV, but I didn't want to lift my head to see who. Edward returned with some water, which he helped me drink.

"Shouldn't you go back to bed?" he asked me.

"Perhaps I should," I said. My voice sounded strange in my ears, it sounded weak and horse.

I tried to get up and immediately felt his arm around my waist to steady me. He told me to support on him and eventually we reached my bedroom. My eyes were constantly closing, begging me to fall asleep. I thanked Edward and lay down on the bed, trying to ignore my headache and to fall asleep. The tylenol was already starting to work and soon I was asleep.

I dreamt I was walking in a dark forest, looking for something. I didn't know yet what that something was, but something was telling me I would know if I saw it. I had bare feet and the leaves and branches scraped at my feet, but it didn't hurt. I looked around and saw the moonlight coming through the leaves. It looked beautiful, but I knew I couldn't stop and stare.

I continued walking until I reached a lake, the moon was reflected on the water. The water was retreating from the shore as I walked towards it. I dipped my feet in the water, enjoying the coldness. As I got out of the water, I noticed something was laying on the shore. It was white and the waves kept breaking into it. I walked towards it, knowing this was what I was looking for. As I reached it, I saw the white was a dress and it covered the body of a young woman. I saw her brown hair spread across the sand. I walked backwards, wanting to forget the immage of the drowned woman. I didn't notice that I was walking into the lake, the coldness of the water hardly affecting me. I didn't stop walking until I was fully underwater.

I woke up to find Rosalie sitting next to me. I felt something wet and cold on my forehead and I grabbed it, noticing it was a washcloth.

"How are you feeling?" Rosalie asked me. I thought about it for a moment and felt my headache wasn't as prominent as before.

"Better, much better." She took the cloth from my hands and laid it on my nightstand.

"Good, Edward was really worried," she said, winking. I laughed softly and sat up. Rose handed me a cup of soup, which I gladly took from her.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said. I thanked her and started sipping from the soup.

"What time is it?"

She smiled at me. "It's seven pm."

My eyes widened as I realised I had slept for six hours. I finished the soup and got up, feeling better with something in my stomach.

Edward knocked on the door and came in, worry still etched on his face, but it disappeared as he saw me out of bed, looking healthy again.

"I suppose I have to postpone the writing of my article another day," I told them. They agreed and we all went downstairs, finding Emmett in the livingroom, watching TV.

"Hey Bells, how are you feeling?" Emmett asked me, cheery as always.

"I'm feeling much better, Emmett, thank you," I told him.

"What shall we do now?" I asked everybody.

"We still have to eat something and we can think about what to do after that," Edward said. We all agreed and went to the kitchen to make something simple.

After we had eaten, we returned to the livingroom, not knowing what to do. We started to deliberate, trying to come up with something.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

Suddenly Rosalie's eyes lit up. "I know a ghost story I can tell!" she exclaimed. Everybody seemed to be up for it and we sat down on the couches, focusing on Rosalie.

"_In an old castle, a bit like the one we're in now, happened something so horrible, it was not spoken of until years later. It was a dark and stormy night in the winter of 1653. A father and his eight-year old daughter lived there. The mother had died in childbirth. That night, the father went away to town, meeting his business partners. The maid would have to look after the girl, who was named Julia._

_Julia was sitting in the livingroom with the maid. They were silent as they both pursued their own hobbies. _

_Suddenly a loud thunder shook them both out of their musings. Julia looked up and saw a flash of white behind the window, which disappeared after a second. _

_The maid saw Julia's paled face and looked at the window, only to see nothing at all. Julia sighed as she noticed her hands were slightly trembling and told the maid she wanted to go to bed. The maid agreed and they both went upstairs, after blowing out the candles. _

_In her room, Julia crawled on her bed and tried to calm herself. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw another flash of white behind the window, accompanied by a small screech. Julia started trembling and held her breath. _

_The wooden floorboards started to creak in the hallway, but Julia knew it had to be the maid. She dove under the sheets as the creaking stopped, just as it had been in front of the door from her bedroom. The door opened, but Julia was too afraid to look. _

_She heard the storm rage outside and a cold gust of wind blew past her, even under the sheets. She shivered, not sure if it was from the cold or fear. The window in her room opened and from her bed she could hear the rain hitting the floor and the thunder sounded louder. She tightened the sheet around her and tried to stop herself from trembling. _

_She felt something, as if a hand brushed across her back, making her jerk away in fear. Another gust of wind blew past her and from a small opening in the sheet, she could see a flash of white disappear through the door. _

_That was when she noticed the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She knew she couldn't fall asleep, so she got up and closed the door and window, still shivering slightly. _

_She left her room, wiping the few remaining tears from her cheeks. The floorboards creaked underneath her feet and she tried to ignore the sound. As she passed the bedroom from the maid, she could hear the soft snoring. She continued down the hallway, stopping in front of the door from the room her father had her forbidden to enter. Somehow the fear had given her some adrenaline and she felt as if she _needed_ to enter this room. _

_The door opened after she had to use some force and she saw it was an ordinary bedroom, the furniture covered in sheets. In this room the window was also opened. She walked to it, wanting to close it. As she reached it, she looked out it, seeing their garden lit by the moonlight. A lot of shadows were covering parts in the garden, hiding secrets. She saw a woman in a white dress floating across the lawn before disappearing in the forest. _

_She let out a scream as the door behind her closed with a loud noise. She could hear and feel her heart pounding and she sat down on a chair, the sheet shifting underneath her. She looked around the room, seeing a bed, a closet and a large mirror right in front of her. _

_The reflection in the mirror scared her, for it wasn't her own reflection she saw, but the reflection of a vaguely familiar woman. Suddenly a flash of a memory passed through her thoughts. A photo in her father's office, of himself and this woman, in wedding clothes. She realised it must be her mother she saw and, although she was very afraid, she didn't want to image to disappear. _

_She walked towards it, touching her mother's face with her small, trembling hand. A sigh escaped her as the image vanished and she was yet again alone in the cold room._

_She wondered if the ghost she saw in the garden was also her mother or someone else._

_She left the room and passed the maid's bedroom again, only to notice she had stopped snoring. She didn't enter her maid's room and went to her bedroom, falling asleep peacefully._

_Just the next day, when her father arrived back home and awoke his daughter, did they enter the maid's room, only to find out she was gone. The father sent his daughter downstairs and he walked to bed, seeing blood on the sheets and that the window was open."_

We all were silent for a moment after which we smiled at Rosalie.

"Did you make that up yourself?" I asked her.

She laughed and shook her head. "No, a friend of mine did. I'm not sure if I told it right, but this is how I remember it."

"Well, now it half past seven. What shall we do now?" Emmett, slightly whiny. Rosalie rolled her eyes and suggested a movie.

"Yes, a movie sounds fine," I said, looking at Edward to see if he agreed. He nodded at me and I got up to open the cabin in which all the movies were.

"All right, romantic, comedy, action or drama?" I said, looking at all the movies in the cabin.

"Romantic-"

"Action-"

"Comedy-" I heard behind me at the same time. I laughed and turned around, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, what's it going to be? I'll vote for drama, just to make it a little bit harder," I said laughingly.

"I don't really mind," Rosalie said. Edward agreed, but Emmett stayed stubborn.

"All right Emmett, it's your pick," I told him and I walked to the couch. Emmett smiled and hurried to the cabin, quickly grabbing an action-movie. Rosalie, Edward and I shared a look and we all started watching the movie.

Edward went to the kitchen to fetch us some drinks and when he returned, sat down next to me. I smiled at him and placed my head on his shoulder.

I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling I was being held in someone's arms. Edward was carrying me upstairs and I closed my eyes again, noticing Edward smelt really nice. I couldn't remember anything from the movie, but I didn't seem to care as I drifted off to sleep again, moving closer to Edward while I was in his arms.

The following morning I made a large breakfast for everyone. I was just about to set the table as I heard my phone ring. I looked around the kitchen and saw it on the counter.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hello, Bella? It's me, Macy." I smiled as I heard her voice.

"Hi Macy, how are you?"

"Not very well actually. You know I was going to Scotland to live with my new husband, right?"

"Yes, I remember," I told her, wondering what she was on about.

"Well, we just got divorced. After living together for a few days, we both realised it just didn't work. But how embarrassing is that? Having a marriage that only lasted a few weeks, of which most of the time we weren't even together. God, I feel so horrible," she cried out. I felt sad for her, realising how terrible it must to be think you've found 'the one' and than to have to get a divorce after being married for a few weeks.

"I'm so sorry. Perhaps you want to come over, maybe we can cheer you up. Edward, he is the one that owns this castle, and his friends are here."

"I would like that very much, thank you. Will it be all right if I come over tomorrow?" She said, already sounding better.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry, it's all going to be fine."

"Thank you, goodbye." I said goodbye and hung up, just as Rosalie walked into the kitchen.

"That looks tasty, Bella," she said, eyeing the food on the table. I laughed and we both sat down at the table, she had already called the boys to come to the diningroom.

"Who did just call?" Rosalie asked curiously.

"Someone I met on the plane to Scotland. She went here to live with her new husband, but they are already getting a divorce, it didn't really work out." Rosalie tried to look sympathetic, but I saw a some amusement in her eyes. I laughed as I looked at her.

"I suppose it is sort of funny. But she's coming over tomorrow and I think she's going to be slightly emotional, so be nice." Rosalie nodded innocently and Edward and Emmett walked in.

I explained them about Macy and ignored Emmett's comment "I wonder what she did to make that man want to get away from her so fast."

They all promised to be nice to her and I was actually looking forward to seeing her again, although the next day I quickly realised it had _not_ been a good plan to invite her over.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

From the moment she had entered the castle, Macy had been drooling all over Edward. It was as if she had spared up all her pick-up lines and flirting abilities and was now using them all on Edward. If I hadn't been jealous and annoyed, it would've have been funny.

Fortunately, Edward tried to make her understand he wasn't interested in her, while also trying to stay polite.

"Edward! Will you _please_ come here for a moment," I heard Macy shout from the living-room. I eyed Edward as he got up and walked away. I soon heard their muffled voices. I tuned out and gazed out the window, sighing. Emmett and Rosalie had left this morning, returning to London. I already missed Emmett's goofy humour and Rosalie's advice.

As they had left the castle, we made a promise to meet each other when I returned to London. I had smiled and waved as they drove away and faced the unpleasant present. Macy was in the castle, it would be rude and inconsiderate to send her away immediately, but I promised to myself I wasn't going to let her stay long.

The start I had made on my article was also a new source of inspiration. I had only written about the way the castle and the country side looked yet, but as I had read it again, I decided it showed the feeling of this environment quite well. I had planned to continue write this evening, to start about Elizabeth, but I had this weird feeling in my stomach, the same as when I was planning on telling Edward about Elizabeth. I would have to share my secret, my own mystery story, with the world. But I knew it would be good to do so, a boost for my career, I hoped.

I left the kitchen, walked to the backdoor and entered the garden, wanting to clear my head for a moment. The soft breeze and chilly air felt nice and I inhaled deeply. The garden was in full bloom and everywhere I looked, I saw different colours of lush red, from the roses, and rich green.

After about an hour, I re-entered the castle, feeling refreshed and rested. As soon as I walked in, I noticed it was silent. Macy's nasal voice didn't penetrate the walls and Edward's soft voice didn't drift towards me. I listened intently and could faintly make out the soft sound of voices upstairs.

I walked into the living-room, sighing as I saw it was a mess. I started cleaning, but quit after a few moments. My mind kept drifting away. I wondered if Rosalie and Emmett were already in London.

Suddenly, I heard my phone ring in my pocket and I quickly grabbed it.

"Hi Bella!" Alice's voice squealed as I answered the phone. I smiled and sat down on the couch.

"Alice, so glad you called! I've missed you," I said.

Alice laughed, "Of course you do. That's why I called. So, how are things going there? Are Rosalie and Emmett still there?"

"No, they left this morning. Macy, the woman I met on the plane, is here though," I said, not hiding the annoyance in my voice.

"Is there something wrong with that?" she asked.

"Well, yes, sort of. She's been hitting on Edward ever since she walked through the front door and it's annoying me," I said, rolling my eyes as I thought of what she had done the past few days. "Just yesterday, Edward and I were in the living-room, just talking. She suddenly burst through the door with a innocent smile on her face, claiming she was 'bored'. So she sat down, practically forcing her away between me and Edward and turned her back to me so she faced him. She started talking to him in a very animated way and I saw, looking over her shoulder discreetly, that her hand was on his chest. I was fuming and asked her to get us some drinks. She sneered at me and stood up, not returning until an hour later."

"Seriously? Well, don't worry. He couldn't possibly like her above you. Just stay calm, no man likes an extremely jealous girlfriend," she said.

"I guess you're right," I said, sighing. "How's Jasper? Is he there with you now?"

I heard her laugh. "No, he isn't. He's working at the moment. Everything is fine with him, everything's going great," she told me, a slightly hesitant tone in her voice. I furrowed my brows, not sure what she was on about.

"Something wrong, Alice?" I heard her sigh desperately as she waited a few moments to answer.

"The fact is, Jasper asked me to move in with him. He told me that he would understand if I wanted to keep living with you. And you know I love living with you. But we've been in a relationship for a few years now and it seems as if it's the logical next step. But I don't want you to feel ignored in any way, because you aren't. So right now I'm thinking of some way to make this all work and…"

I cut her off, saying "Alice, please, calm down," I sighed and continued, "If you want to live together with Jasper, please do. I don't want to be the one to come between your relationship. I'll just find a smaller apartment I can afford on my own until, perhaps, I find a new roommate," I told her, trying to reassure her.

"Maybe you won't need one," she said suggestively. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"I think it's a bit too early to start with that, Alice," I said. She agreed and apologized.

"Well, I hope to see you soon Alice, I have already started on my article."

"Really? How exciting! Please mail me some drafts." I laughed and promised her that.

"Tell Jasper I said 'hi', goodbye!" She said goodbye and hung up. I sighed and noticed how much I really missed her.

The voices I had faintly heard upstairs had fainted away and, even with listening intently, I couldn't hear anything. As I had nothing else to do, I decided to go upstairs and see what they were doing. I ascended the stairs and ignored the slightly anxious feeling I had and couldn't understand.

I walked through the hallway, noticing the door to Edward's bedroom was slightly ajar. I walked to it, wondering if Edward was in there. I didn't know what we would do for dinner and there wasn't much food in the fridge, so if he wanted to stay in, I would have to go to the supermarket.

As I neared his room, I could hear his and Macy's voice, making me feel suspicious and then guilty for feeling suspicious. I peered through the door, my mind going blank for a few moments as I saw Edward and Macy. Edward and Macy… Together, holding each other, kissing. I drew my head back, not wanting to see anything, not that I could. My mind, hearing and seeing ability were blocked.

I stumbled back into the hallway, feeling uncoordinated and clumsy. I looked around the hallway, desperately wanting to find a way out, somewhere safe to go. As I heard Edward walk around in the room, coming closer to the door, I quickly started running, not wanting him to see me. As I rushed off the stairs, I tripped and I tightly grabbed the banister. I steadied myself and rushed to the front door, grabbing my coat from the table next to it, knowing a key was in it's pocket. I closed the door, careful not to make any sound and started running away, anywhere. My heart was pounding and tears were blinding my vision. The only thing I saw was blurred green and blue. My feet tripped over the smallest things, but I did everything I could to stay straight and keep walking. I ended up at some cliff, the sea clashing into the rocks beneath me.

I suddenly realised this must have been slightly how Elizabeth felt, but I had no intention of jumping off, no matter how miserable I felt. I turned around angrily and faced the hills and fields ahead of me. I started walking, not able to think rationally through my anger. My jeans got caught on some branches and I stubbornly tried to pull the fabric out of the branches, only ending up with a large tear in my jeans. I groaned, but continued walking anyway. I looked back at the castle, surprised to see I had already walked quite a distance.

It looked large and looming, making me feel small and insignificant. I angrily wiped the tears off my face and fell down on my knees, suddenly feeling exhausted. I buried my face in my hands and sat still until my breathing and heart rate were slightly back to normal.


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

I took one deep breath and stood up, wiping the dirt off my jeans. The sky was starting to get dark and there was a cold breeze, making me shiver. I looked up and saw the moon brightly against the black sky. I blinked and looked away, as if appalled by the beauty of it.

My hands were dug in my pockets and I noticed I had left my phone at home. I didn't feel like going home, but –seeing it was getting late– walking to one of the near villages was no solution either. It would take me at least thirty minutes to get there. I knew I had to go home, so I shook and cleared my head and started walking home.

During my short walk, I started thinking about how to act when I got there. They would've noticed I had left and Edward would've guessed why. It was going to be awkward, perhaps they didn't even expect me to get home and were now feverishly kissing in his bedroom. I shivered and tried to keep those thoughts out of my head.

_But it's not impossible,_a voice in my head said. _They could be doing that, enjoying the time you are gone._Do I really want to know if that is true? I had no ways of transport, depending on the buses and Edward's car. I couldn't sneak in and call a cab and even if I would, all my stuff would be there. And why should I leave the castle, even if it is his? I have an article to write and have every right to stay there.

I noticed the tears starting to fall from my eyes. It was all so hopeless. How could I have trusted them? Could I have known something like this would eventually happen? Yes, at first I had thought him out of my league, but he made it feel as if I wasn't. And Emmett and Rosalie are his best friends, and they are incredibly nice. How could they be friends to someone who isn't trustworthy?

I groaned and shook my head as I saw the castle in the distance, silently lying between the hills, seemingly innocent.

I let out a yell as suddenly an animal rushed away in front of me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I continued walking towards the castle. I started walking slower as I neared it, not sure about what I was doing. Could I really face him right now? I saw light through the windows and, as I thought about the lay-out from the castle, supposed it was the living-room.

I arrived at the garden of the castle, I came from that direction, and started walking towards the backdoor, when I saw a small path leading from the garden to bushes and eventually trees. My curiosity got the better of me and I started following it.

The bushes scraped against my jeans-clad legs and the trees were looming up in front of me. I entered the small forest and saw that the path led me to a small building, perhaps a garden house. Most of the left wall was gone and moss was growing over the rest of it. It looked as if nobody had been here in more than a century, the plants dominating the ruin. The roof had collapsed, perhaps which had caused the left wall to also collapse. I climbed over a few loose bricks and saw a few crumbled pieces of rotten, wooden furniture on the floor.

Suddenly I saw something glisten in the moonlight, something silver. I bent over and pushed aside some wooden boards. Beneath some bricks, wood and dust was a small jewelry box. I carefully picked it up and brushed the dust off. Luckily, no lock was on it and I could easily open it, the hinges rusted and weak. The inside of the box was covered in midnight blue satin. Inside I found a piece of paper, a ring and an old, very small painting, in relatively good shape.

I picked up the painting and immediately recognized the familiar face of Elizabeth. She was wearing a gorgeous dress, looking beautiful in it. She was smiling towards the painter, a joyous spontaneity in her eyes. I noticed she was slightly younger in this picture, more carefree. There was no date on it.

I carefully placed the painting back in the box and picked up the ring. It was gold with a beautiful ruby in the middle, with a smaller diamond on either side. I couldn't resist putting it on, smiling as I discovered it fitted quite well. Sadly there was no engraving, so I placed it back, on top of the painting.

Last, I took the piece of paper, not surprised to see it was a letter. Although I was surprised to see the date, _January 18, 1802_. Wasn't that the same day as the newspaper article about Elizabeth's suicide? I felt curiosity building inside me as I started reading the letter.

_Most lovely Elizabeth,_

_You do not know how much the news I received this morning hurt__s me, how it devastated me and ruined all my hopes of a happy life. And you will never know, unless you want me to believe in heaven. And if you want me to, I will. I will do anything for you Elizabeth, even now_. Especially_now._

_The thought of a heaven with you –for you __are sure to be in heaven– is very appealing. The world seems dark and dreary without your smiles, spontaneity and spirit to colour it._

_Do not worry, dear Elizabeth, about an afterlife without love and kindness, for I will soon follow you to provide just those two things. And perhaps even more, if you wish so._

_Your father seems heartbroken, poor soul. But do not feel guilty, my love. You followed your heart, for it could not bear living with Mr Thompson. If it hadn't brought you to where you are now, I could love it even more, if that is possible._

_I know you would like to know how devastated Mr Thompson was as he heard this news, but I wasn't there at the moment. I haven't seen him since the last ball, where you looked as beautiful as ever._

_Will you ever forgive me for following you? You are too kind to want this faith for me, but do not fear. My life would be nothing without your love, my sweet Elizabeth. It is a blessing, a relief to know what do to._

_This morning, when I heard the most horrible news, I was lost. My mind was blank and my heart had left me. But no sooner __then I heard the news, did I knew what to do. This is the only solution, I know it. My heart belongs to you and you took it with you to where ever you may be. And I need to find it, to find you and this is the only way I can do that._

_For a last act of closure, before I will leave my body and reunite with you, I have gathered two things. The painting of you that you gave me and this ring. The ring is beautiful, but fails in comparison __to you. I wanted to give it to you, to ask for your hand, but faith did not agree with that. I did keep the ring and now it has found its meaning. I will put the painting, the ring and this letter in this box__–a box I have bought just this afternoon, a beautiful mahogany jewerly box with blue satin–__as a sign of our love and history. Perhaps one day someone will find it. Then our short and bitter-sweet story may live on as we are long reunited._

_I will see you soon, my love._

_Your William_

I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks, surprised to find I was so affected by the letter. It must've been because of the betrayal and sadness I felt.

I made sure not to get the letter wet with my tears and placed it back in the box, after which I closed it. I picked it up and took it with me, not wanting to take the risk of leaving it here where it might be discovered, stolen or taken away by animals.

I wiped the dust from my clothes, rearranged my hair and walked back to the path that led to the castle. It was now completely dark, there was only the moon that still lit the forest. I cautiously made my way back, careful not to trip over anything.

The light in the living-room had gone out I noticed, as I left the forest and entered the garden. I softly opened the backdoor, immediately listening for sounds. I heard footsteps in the hallway, rapidly walking across the floor. As I listened for a few seconds, I realised it was someone pacing. I sighed and closed the door behind me. The sound I made, even though I tried to be silent, was loud enough for the one who was pacing to stop for a short second and then rushing in my direction.

I quickly placed the box in a small cabin I found on my left and turned towards the door, waiting for it to open.


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

"Bella! God, I've been so worried. You've been gone for four hours!" Edward said hurriedly, rushing towards me. As he tried to wrap his arms around me, I backed away and avoided his eyes. Even though my heart was broken, I couldn't find it in me to hate him. I didn't know what I would see in his eyes, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to see it, whatever it may be.

As I took a step backwards, he sighed sadly. He didn't try to get closer to me and I appreciated that.

"I know what you must've seen, but please, just listen to me," he begged, his voice slightly trembling. I swallowed, a lump in my throat. I shook my head, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"Not now," I said, my voice hoarse. I turned away, while still haven't looked him in the eyes, and made my way over to the door.

"Bella, wait. Don't walk away," Edward said, his voice soft and desperate.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, turning my head slightly in his direction, but not daring to look at him.

I opened the door and closed it behind me, finally allowing the tears to fall. As I walked up the stairs, I noticed that I hadn't heard Macy anywhere. For that I was glad and I couldn't seem to care where she went.

I felt relieved as I made it to my bedroom and could close the door behind me, glad to feel some of the familiarity this room offered.

I wanted to distract my mind and started up the laptop, which I had placed on the small desk in my room. Working on my article seemed like a good idea to get my mind off things and soon I was typing away about Elizabeth and Birkhill Castle, not even thinking about Edward or Macy.

_In a small drawing-room I found a painting of a young lady, named Elizabeth Masen, above the fireplace. She was not yet twenty on the painting and I found myself immediately intrigued. Her haunting green eyes captured mine and I stood there, looking at her, for quite some time. Soon my curiosity got the best of me and I was making my way towards the library, desperate to find any information about this mysterious woman. It was sure to me she had lived in Birkhill Castle and getting some information about her didn't seem like a very hard task to do. It turned out I was right, for the first place I looked, I already found something. I had opened a few drawers of an old desk in the beautiful and large library and in one of them were a few documents, of which some were related to Elizabeth. The first I took was also the most interesting one. The short newspaper article told me some shocking news, namely that our dear Elizabeth Masen had killed herself. She had drowned herself in the beach near Birkhill Castle, which was indeed her residence at that moment. Here I will include the newspaper article, so you may read it yourself._

I had already typed the newspaper article and now copied it into my document. I read the piece I had just typed again and was satisfied, so I continued.

_After I had discovered this, you may understand I was not only shocked, but also even more curious and determined to find out more. I continued rummaging through the drawers of the desk and found a small letter, written by Elizabeth's father. It was directed to a certain Mr Thomspon. In it was mentioned by John Masen, her father, that he accepted the proposal of Mr Thompson to marry Elizabeth. I put two and two together and I started to belief Elizabeth might have killed herself because of that certain engagement. However, you are free to take on your own opinion on the matter, of course._

_After that, the desk in the library did not offer anything else interesting and I was soon continuing my search in a different room. The study was now my object of examination. I was pleased to find a desk with as many drawers and little, secret places as you can imagine. I spent some time going through those drawers. _

_The only thing I found, was actually something of great importance to me. It were a few letters. They were to and from Elizabeth and a certain William Ashton. It soon became clear to me that the two had a secret love affair. Now it made more sense that the engagement of Elizabeth and Mr Thompson – which Elizabeth hadn't actually accepted, but she didn't have a choice – made Elizabeth miserable. _

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, feeling I was starting to get tired. I saved my document and turned of the computer. I walked to the door and listened closely, dreading to bump into Edward. I didn't hear anything and made my way to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth, after which I hurried my way to my bedroom again.

As I took my book from my bed, I suddenly heard my cellphone downstairs. I groaned and placed my book back on my nightstand. I rushed downstairs to retrieve my cellphone, but as I walked into the livingroom, it stopped ringing and I didn't know where it was.

I first searched in all the obvious places, but didn't find it there. I looked around, hoping the person might call me again, but I knew I shouldn't wait for that and I walked to the couch. I took out all the pillows, for my phone could have fallen behind them, but there was no sign of it. As I stood up to try and get the pillows back in the couch, Edward walked, surprise crossing his face as he saw me with the couch pillows in my head.

If I wasn't surprised and miserable, I might've laughed, and Edward looked as if he felt the same. I quickly put the pillows back in the couch.

"Lost my phone," I muttered, and I diverted my eyes from him again. From my peripheral vision I saw him shake his head.

"I'll call you," he said, taking his phone out of his pockets. He rang my phone-number and soon I heard my phone ring from underneath the couch. I rolled my eyes and reached under the couch. I grabbed my phone and got up.

"Thank you," I said, smiling slightly. I lost the battle I had been fighting with myself from the moment he had walked in and raised my eyes to his. I noticed there was something in his eyes beside sadness, something sweet and kind. As if he would do anything I would ask him.

I tried to clear my head, he had cheated on me! I shouldn't forgive him this easily. But looking in his beautiful green eyes, it was hard to stay mad.

"You're welcome," he said, sounding desperate to say anything to me. I nodded and walked to the door, surprised as he took my arm to stop me from leaving.

"I need to explain, Bella," he whispered to me. I looked at him, hurt as I saw the pain in his eyes, knowing I had caused it. But with good reason, I tried to tell myself. I took a deep breath and turned towards him.

"All right," I said, looking him in the eye. He diverted his gaze to the floor.

"Well, you were in the garden and I thought Macy was in the kitchen. I had nothing to do, so I went up to my room to read something. I wasn't in my room long, before I heard someone walk up to my dear and knock on it. I thought it was you and immediately said 'Come in!'. You can imagine I was slightly surprised when Macy walked in, I didn't know what she had to tell me, but I wasn't suspicious, I didn't know there was reason to be. She came up to me and that was when I noticed there was something slightly different about her.

"You know how she had been nagging to get my attention for a few days, but when she looked at me, there was determination in her eyes. It scared me, to be honest.

"Anyway, she started talking about how miserable and lonely she was and how she needed someone to cheer her up. She then got closer to me and started to kiss me!"

I closed my eyes for a second, not wanting to imagine that. I sighed and turned to leave the room, knowing it would be horrible if I would do that, but somehow it seemed only rational to do so, some kind of self-preservation. I didn't want to hear how she started kissing him and he found it hard to resist, or something like that.

He seemed to notice my movement and his head snapped up, desperation evident in his eyes.

"I'm not done yet, please just listen a little more," he said, his hands wrapping around mine. I shrugged them off and put my hands in my pockets, trying to ignore the hurt look in his eyes.

"I didn't want her to kiss me, she just walked up to me and suddenly did it. I… immediately pushed her off me and told her I wasn't interested in her in that way. She seemed hurt, but I knew I had to tell her. I walked to the door and told her to leave. She then started begging me and insulting you. That was when I got mad and I told her to go and that she couldn't stay in the castle anymore," he said, letting out a large breath. There was a spark of hope in his eyes, knowing I had heard his full explanation.

"That's why I haven't seen or heard her," I said mindlessly, not capable of saying anything of importance, for I couldn't think straight.

The slight pause, barely noticeable, that there had been between the words 'I' and 'immediately' he had said, made me suspicious. Had he really pushed her away 'immediately'? I didn't know and I wasn't sure if I could trust him.

"Yes, that's why…" he said, eyeing me, trying to gauge my reaction. I looked at the floor and sighed.

"I'm really tired, Edward. I think I'll go to bed," I said, not sure if I did the right thing by saying this. The disappointment and hurt in his eyes was clear and I couldn't look at him. I quickly walked to the door and rushed upstairs, not wanting to deal with all of that now.

I closed my door and fell on top of my bed, knowing I wouldn't fall asleep in a long time. I started reading my book, but after I had read a page, I couldn't remember anything of it and I placed it back. I crawled underneath the sheets and tried to distract my mind. Doing that, I finally fell asleep after a few hours.


	16. Chapter 16

**16**

"Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing you again," I heard Edward say as I descended the stairs. He was in the kitchen and hadn't heard me yet.

"All right, see you tomorrow. Love you too." My eyes widened as I heard him say that. I quickly walked into the kitchen, trying to look indifferent. He nodded at me as he saw me.

"Bye mom," he said and he hung up. I let out a large sigh as I heard it was his mother he was on the phone with.

"My parents will come tomorrow. You don't mind, do you?" he said, folding the newspaper closed.

"No, not at all," I told him, sitting down on a bar chair. I didn't know where exactly we were in this relationship at the moment, it all felt a bit weird. It didn't feel right to just jump back in his arms as if nothing had happened, but it would be unfair to him to stay mad if his explanation was true.

But then there was also the question if he had kissed her back or not. I sighed and answered his questioning look that followed with shrug.

"Great, they really want to meet you." I nodded and went up to make some coffee.

"I've already made some," he said, pointing towards a mug of coffee on the countertop. He smiled at me, hope in his eyes. I wasn't sure what he expected from me, so I just smiled at him and picked up the coffee mug.

"Did you sleep well?" Edward said softly, eyeing me. I merely nodded, feeling horribly guilty for some reason.

"You?" I asked, feeling obliged to try and be civil too. He nodded, but it didn't seem convincing.

"What would you like for breakfast?" he asked me.

"Anything would be fine," I said. Realising I wasn't sounding very nice or enthusiastic, I added, "Thank you."

He nodded and started making breakfast. I watched him, wanting I hadn't invited Macy and everything could go back to the way it was a week ago, when Emmett and Rosalie were here.

I suddenly wanted to call Alice, but knew I could hardly get up and call her at the moment, knowing Edward was making breakfast for me.

He finished and placed two plates with food on the counter. He sat down beside and we quietly started eating. I hated the uncomfortable silence and was desperate for something to talk about.

"How long will your parents stay?" I asked, glad to have found a subject, but then realised it might sound as if I wanted them gone as soon as possible.

"I suppose about a week," he said. I nodded and continued eating, not daring to try another subject.

"So, have you heard anything from Alice or Jasper?" Edward asked. I looked up with raised eyebrows, surprised he even asked about this, he never did. But I realised he must've hated the silence as much as I did. I hid my amused expression.

"Nothing special, I actually planned on calling Alice this afternoon. Anything from Emmett or Rosalie?" I asked.

"Well, I spoke to Emmett yesterday. Everything is pretty much the same, nothing special to mention." We both sighed simultaneously and laughed softly as we realised it.

The rest of the day we didn't talk much and both did things for ourselves. Edward went to town for a few hours and I walked around the garden.

In the late afternoon, I found myself standing in front of the stairs that went up to the attic. I didn't even know if I was allowed to go up there.

As I doubted to go up or not, I heard Edward come in and I decided to ask him. I rushed downstairs and saw him standing in the hallway, looking quite surprised to see me rushing down from the stairs.

"Hi Edward," I said, realising how idiotic cheerful I sounded. He must suspect something of it, because he raised one eyebrow.

"Hello," he said slowly.

"So, I wanted to ask you something," I said and saw how he now understood my cheerful greeting.

"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"I was wondering if I am allowed to go to the attic." He seemed surprised for a moment.

"Of course, why not?" I shrugged, not really sure why I had thought I wasn't allowed. Perhaps because I thought this castle harboured many secrets which maybe I shouldn't discover.

"All right, thank you." He nodded, still looking slightly confused.

"I should warn you, I don't know how stable the floor is in the attic. We haven't been up there in a long time and it's all very old."

"Yes, I understand that. Well, I'll watch out," I said, eager to get up there.

"Do you want to eat something?" he asked me, not noticing I wanted to go to the attic. I sighed, knowing it would be rude to prefer the attic above him and that I could always go there in the evening, and I nodded.

"Sure, I'll go see if there's something in the kitchen." I went to go to the kitchen, but looked up surprised as he tried to stop me.

"I make the dinner, remember? You do the breakfast," he said, laughing. I pouted, wanting to make dinner again. Somehow, making dinner was far more exciting than making breakfast.

"Fine, you can make dinner," he said. _I should remember that pouting can help persuade him,_ I thought.

"Thank you," I said sweetly and I made my way towards the kitchen.

Soon the table was full of different plates and pans. I called Edward and we started eating, continuing a pleasant, light conversation. I noticed how everything had gone quite smoothly between Edward and me today. Perhaps because I tried not to think as much about Macy and how things had been between us.

"Are you looking forward to seeing your parents again?" I asked him.

"Yes, very much," he told me sincerely. I nodded and looked down at my plate. As we finished eating, Edward offered to clean up. I refused, but he wasn't to be persuaded. I sighed and left the kitchen, rolling my eyes teasingly at him. He laughed and I closed the door behind me.

I took a deep breath and ascended the stairs, curious as to what I would find in the attic. Hearing what Edward had said, made me think of it as a dark, dusty room with spider webs and old boxes everywhere. Perhaps there was nothing to find and I would risk my life for that. Or maybe a little less dramatic.

I took the stairs to the attic and paused as I stood in front of the door that would lead to the attic.

As I slowly opened the door, a musty smell came towards me. I walked in and everywhere around me dust rose up and made me sneeze. It was very dark and I couldn't find a light switch anywhere. I could make out the details of boxes and dark, wooden beams on the low ceiling. I almost hit my head against one of them. I saw a small patch of light enter the room through a small and dirty window, on the opposite side of the attic.

I tried to make me way to the window, tripping over boxes, picture frames and other things I couldn't make out in the dark. I finally made it and cleaned the window with my sleeve, glad it was an old sweater. I could see a forest through it and as I looked closely, I saw the old ruin of the garden house. It was dark outside and I could clearly see the moon. A slight fog was making it's way through the trees and it all had a slightly ghastly appearance.

I suddenly heard a noise beside me and my heart rate increased enormously. The wood made some noises, but as I calmed down a bit, it didn't seem disturbing. I took my hand from my chest, where it had flown when the sound had scared me.

I took a deep breath and looked around. The moonlight fell on a small part of the attic, lighting an old teddy bear, a guitar, a painting frame and a large box. I saw a thick layer of dust on it.

I took one small step towards it and let out a loud scream as a part of the floor disappeared beneath me and landed on the hallway, in front of my bedroom. Luckily I hadn't fallen down and was still in the attic, but my leg had scraped against the sharp wood and it hurt a lot.

As I brushed my hand slightly against the wound, wanting to examine it slightly, I felt blood on my hand. The smell and feel of blood on my hand made me dizzy and I suddenly felt I was falling backwards on the attic floor. Before it become dark before my eyes, I heard someone opening the attic door and yelling my name.


	17. Chapter 17

**17**

Luckily I didn't fall through the hole in the floor and Edward immediately found me as I passed away. He helped me sit up straight as I regained consciousness. He carried me downstairs and gave me some water, after which he attended to my wound.

I squeezed my eyes shut as he was cleaning the wound, trying to block out the pain. He put a bandage around it and sound I was able to walk again.

"I told you to watch out," he said, slightly frustrated.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't see the floor crumbling beneath me! I should've noticed," I said angrily, glaring at him.

"You couldn't have noticed that, but you should have watched out where you walked," he shot back, just as angry.

"Well, next time I'll just crawl across the floor, so my weight is evenly divided. I mean, why should I even think about normally walking across that floor? It's such a ridiculous idea," I said sarcastically, fuming with anger. How could he even say that? How can I help it that the floor collapsed? I huffed and turned away, still glaring.

"Don't be so ridiculous, you're acting like a child," he growled. I huffed and raised my eyebrows from indignation.

"_I'm_ acting like a child?" I asked, not believing him to be so unbelievably annoying. I got up and left the room, limping slightly because of my leg. I shook my head, not sure what had just happened. What got into him that made him act like that? It made absolutely no sense.

My leg was hurting incredibly and I was completely fatigued. I quickly made myself ready for bed and felt relieved as I finally lay in bed. It had been a long and confusing day.

First, Edward and I had gotten along really well and then I get hurt and he is suddenly extremely unreasonable and angry. I couldn't understand it and I was too tired to think about it. I eventually fell asleep, my leg hurting still.

The next morning, I didn't want to get up. I wasn't sure how to face Edward, especially if his parents were also there with us. I sighed, knowing I had no option and I did really want to meet them, so I got up and put on some nice clothes.

As I got downstairs, I noticed they weren't here yet, which was understandable, it was only eleven o'clock. I didn't hear Edward and assumed he was still asleep. I entered the kitchen and saw a short note on the counter.

_Bella,_

_I__'ve gone to the airport to get my parents. I will be back by twelve o'clock._

_Edward_

My breath trembled slightly as I read such a distant and cold note and I immediately tore it apart and threw it in the trash. I sighed and wondered how to kill one hour. I definitely didn't want to go back to the attic, no matter what secrets were there.

I decided to call Alice, desperately wanting to hear a kind voice.

It felt like forever until she answered her phone.

"Hello!" she said in her usual cheery voice.

"Hi, Alice," I said, immediately realising how depressed I sounded.

"Bella? What's wrong?" Alice asked.

I sighed, "It's a long story."

"I've got time," Alice said.

"Macy kissed Edward," I started, finding it strange how indifferent I sounded. Before I could continue, however, Alice interrupted me.

"What? She did _what_? How can she do that to you? What did Edward say? How are things between you? Where's Macy?"

"Yes, that's what she did. Edward explained she just walked up to him and did that, but the way he said it made met think he kissed her back. However short that might have been, he shouldn't have. Either way, things have been awkward between us ever since. Macy left immediately after the kiss, Edward told her to, and I haven't seen or spoken her.

"Last night I went up to the attic, where I've never been before. It turns out the floor wasn't stable and it collapsed beneath me. Thankfully I didn't fall through it, I only scraped my leg. But listen to this. Edward had the nerve to get mad at me! Just because I had hurt myself and he had warned me for that. How stupid is that!" I exclaimed, looking around the room.

I almost dropped the phone as I suddenly saw Edward standing in the doorway, looking slightly shocked. I heard his parents' voices in the hallway, apparently they hadn't heard my little outburst or chose not to notice it. I blushed and diverted my gaze.

"Alice, I've got to go," I quickly said and I hung up before she could respond.

"Hi Edward, you're early," I said, mentally slapping myself after I said that. Somehow, people always say that when they are caught at something they did because they didn't expect the other person to come back early. It was all so cliché. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, he would misinterpret it as something that had to do with him.

"Yes, I am," he said, sounding frustrated. As his parents walked in, he put on a smile and introduced them to me.

"Bella, this is Carlisle and this is Esme. Mom and dad, this is Bella," he said. His parents seemed very nice and they were smiling kindly towards me. I noticed how young they looked. Carlisle had blond hair and striking blue eyes. Esme had caramel coloured, wavy hair and kind, green eyes. I immediately liked them.

"Bella, how are you enjoying the castle? I hope I put enough food in the refrigerator," Esme said.

"Yes, of course, it was more than enough. So kind of you to do that," I said and she smiled at me.

"So Bella, I heard you found out something about this Elizabeth Masen who lived here?" Carlisle stated, looking interested. I smiled enthusiastically, glad I could tell him about it. I quickly started telling about what I had discovered and it seemed he and his wife were very interested.

"That sounds fascinating, if I ever find something that might be of use to you, I will send it," Carlisle said, after I had finished my story. I thanked him, smiling at him. While I had been talking, I had constantly avoided Edward. I wasn't sure if he was still smiling towards his parents or perhaps glaring towards me. I sighed sadly as I though about how angry he had been. I was still mad at him, but sad at the same time. I wondered if something had changed him, or if this was all just temporarily.

I stole a glance of him, seeing him looking at me with a focused look on his face. Not as if he was staring, but as if he was trying to figure something out. I frowned slightly, but quickly hid it with a smile as I turned towards Carlisle and Esme again.

Somehow, I knew they had noticed the small moment between me and Edward. Something in the slight worry and confusion that was in their eyes told me. I tried to smile and reassure them.

To get away from Edward's stare, I offered Carlisle and Esme something to drink and was glad when they said they did want something. I quickly got up and left the room, relieved when I closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath and made my way to the kitchen. _What was wrong with Edward?_ I wondered.

I was pouring drinks in glasses as suddenly the door from the kitchen opened. My head snapped up and I saw Esme come in.

"Hello, Bella," she said softly and she came to stand next to me and helped me with the drinks.

"Hi, Esme. It's really nice to finally meet both of you," I said, trying to be polite.

"Yes, we are both glad to meet you too. This castle was always so cold and empty, with you it seems so much more bright and the atmosphere is far better," she told me. I raised my eyebrows surprised, but didn't ask what she meant.

"I do really enjoy it here, my article is already coming along," I said. She smiled as she looked at me.

"That's fantastic, dear. I hope you keep working on it, even when you don't have inspiration or just don't feel like it. It will be worth it in the end," she said and she turned to leave. I stood there, watching her leave the room, feeling slightly dumbfounded. Something made me doubt she was really talking about the article.

I picked up the glasses and left the kitchen in a slight daze.


	18. Chapter 18

**18**

I spent the rest of the day trying to be civil to Edward and nice to his parents. They turned out to be really good company.

I was starting to miss Edward and his smiles and I was planning on talking to him that night. I didn't want him to stay mad at me. I found him alone in the library, rapidly paging through a book. He looked up as he saw me coming towards me and he placed the book back in the bookcase.

"Hi Edward," I said softly, not sure in what mood he was.

"Bella, I've thought about our situation and I forgive you," he said, smiling at me. My smile disappeared from my face and gave him an incredulous look.

"What? You _forgive_ me? For what? I found you kissing with another girl and _you_ forgive _me_?"

"I forgive you for distrusting me!" he said, his mood changing.

"I only knew you for a few weeks, how could you expect me to immediately trust you?" I shot at him.

"Did I do anything at all to make you distrust me?" he snapped.

"No, but that doesn't mean I don't need time to start trusting someone," I said to him and I turned around to leave the room, mentally slapping myself for getting mad at him again. This had been a perfect opportunity to get back together with him, had I not been so stubborn and proud.

The following day, Esme and Carlisle started packing to leave. I was sad they had to go so soon, because I had really enjoyed their company. And I wasn't sure how to deal with Edward alone.

I went upstairs to offer my help, but saw Edward was already helping Carlisle pack. I was about to turn around as he spotted me and beckoned me.

"Bella, I'm going back to London with my parents," he said. Shock spread across my face as I understood what he said. All along I knew he had to leave after a few weeks, but I hadn't expected it to be now. I looked at the ground.

"Yes, of course," I said. As I looked at the bed, I noticed there were two suitcases, both already full with clothes.

"I see you've already packed," I noted. He nodded as he looked at the suitcase.

"Yes, I was planning on telling you this morning, but I helped Esme pack and just forgot." I tried to hide the pain in my eyes.

"I understand," I told him and turned towards Carlisle. "Can I help you with pack?"

"No, that's fine, I'm already done. Thank you," he said kindly. I nodded and left the room, feeling miserable.

I hadn't been planning on this. I was hoping I would get some time to start trust Edward, but as he would leave soon, we would part while still mad at each other. I sighed and walked to my room. I needed to stop him from going, I couldn't stay here for another month, knowing he was in London, forgetting about me.

I knew I had to quickly finish my article, but I couldn't leave yet. I still had to stay at least three weeks. I groaned and kicked the bed out of frustration.

I heard Edward and Carlisle carry their suitcases downstairs and I got scared. He was really going to leave. My heart started beating faster and I rushed out of my room.

In the hallway, I saw Esme and Carlisle. They were discussing something, but as they saw me, stopped talking.

"Hello, Bella. It's sad we have to leave so soon, we really enjoyed it here. Will you come and visit us in London when you return?" Esme said, smiling at me.

"Yes, of course, Esme, I would love to," I said hurriedly. "Do you know where Edward is?" I asked, sounding a bit desperate. They looked surprised and pointed towards the livingroom. I thanked them and rushed to the livingroom.

I saw Edward standing, looking out of the window. He heard me come in and looked at me.

"Hi Edward," I said, slightly breathless. The idea he would leave, made me nervous and frightened.

"Hello Bella," he said, trying to sound polite. I nervously looked around the room, breathing rapidly.

"Don't go," I blurted out. He blinked a few times before answering, looking surprised.

"What?" he asked, dazed.

I rolled my eyes, "Don't make me repeat it."

"Why shouldn't I go?"

"God, I'm so sorry! I've been such a horrible person," I exclaimed. "Edward, please, forgive me. I love you, I don't want you to go."

He walked towards me and took my hands.

"Bella, calm down. Of course I forgive you," he said. I smiled at him and felt relieved. "I love you too, but I still need to return to London. My boss called and I need to get back to work."

I sighed and lay my head on his chest. "I understand," I said. He kissed the top of my head.

"I'll miss you. How long will you stay here?" he asked.

"No longer than a month, I hope to be back in three weeks," I told him. He nodded thoughtfully and we walked towards the hallway.

"All right. I guess I'll see you in three weeks. Good luck with your article, I'm sure it will turn out great. If you discover anything about Elizabeth, please call and tell me. ". I promised him I would and we entered the hallway. He put on his coat and I started saying goodbye to his parents.

"It was so nice of you to come here and I will see you as I return to London," I told them.

"That would be fantastic. Goodbye Bella," Esme said, zipping up her coat. I nodded and watched them leave.

It was going to be boring here, with nobody else in the castle. I remembered the first few nights here, how the wind, rain and squeaking wood had kept me up. How alone I had felt in such a large and empty castle.

Edward arriving had been great, knowing that someone else was just across the hallway at night.

Now the gushing rain, wild night animals and the noises each old house makes, will haunt me at night. I sighed and watched with dread as the sun sank and darkness fell over the hills and the castle.

I knew I had been standing in the door opening for quite some while and I closed the door as the chilly wind started to make me shiver.

The heavy sound of the door closing echoed through the hallway, fitting perfectly with my mood.

I had already eaten something with Edward, Carlisle and Esme, so I wasn't hungry. I walked around a bit and eventually settled in the livingroom, turning on the TV, because I wanted to have voices around me. I picked up a blanket that had fallen on the ground and wrapped it around me. I had closed the curtains and felt comfortable, lying on the couch with a blanket, just watching TV.

I expected them to be at the airport by now. He hadn't promised, but I secretly hoped that Edward would call as he would arrive in London, if it wouldn't be too late.

I glanced towards the clock and saw it was 8 pm, not really late. Their plane would leave at half past 8 and then they would arrive in London a little before 10 o'clock. Knowing Edward, he would be afraid to wake me and he would call me tomorrow. I sighed, but also relaxed, knowing I didn't have to stay awake and wait for his phone call.

The sounds from the TV were clear, but I didn't concentrate on the images. My eyes kept going to the small gap between the curtains, through which I could see the moon. I smiled and lay my head back on the couch, feeling tired.

I didn't want to get up and walk all the way up to my bedroom. I searched around on the couch for the remote control. After a few moments, I rolled my eyes as I saw it on the table next to the couch. I reached over and turned the TV off and closing my eyes as the house became completely silent.

I had expected that it would take a while to fall asleep, but apparently I was quite tired, because I fell asleep within a few moments.


	19. Chapter 19

**19**

I sat down with all the material I had collected these few months and finished my article. I read it over and over again, checking it for grammar mistakes or other errors.

I was very content with the end result. I did Elizabeth enough justice, without dedicating the entire article to her. I was hoping my boss would like it, for the article was very dear to me and it would mean a lot for my career.

I had recently received a phone call from my boss, asking me how my work was coming along. She told me that she needed me back in London and she asked me if I could hurry up with the article. I was glad to tell her I was almost finished.

My bags had already been packed and, as I had predicted, was ready to leave three weeks after Edward and his parents had left this castle.

I had one free day before I had to leave and I had promised myself to admire the castle and gardens in that day. I could hardly believe that after all these months, I would go back to my apartment and perhaps never come back to Birkhill Castle.

The apartment, which may already be vacant. I knew Alice was going to live together with Jasper. When I would arrive in London, we would put the apartment up for sale and I would go look for an apartment of my own.

In London, it was hard to find an apartment, which had a good location and was affordable. The prospect of having to search for one, wasn't a pleasant one.

I threw a glance towards my bags, gathered up in the corner of the room, and I got up.

The familiar room would be hard to say goodbye to, I had spent so many nights here. I let my hand slide across the smooth wood from the bed and nightstand.

I entered the hallway and went into Elizabeth's bedroom. It looked exactly the same as how Edward and I had left it.

We had placed the covers back on top of the furniture. The atmosphere in the room had something sad and tired, as if the room was fed up with having to be here and hold up the pretences of what it had once been.

I closed the door and walked down the hallway, throwing glances to the closed doors, remembering what was behind them.

Dust was floating through the hallway, only visible in the light beam, provided by the large window at the end of the hallway. I looked away and descended the stairs, after I had taken the bags from my room.

It was difficult to get downstairs safely with a few suitcases in my hands, but I made it and I set them down in the hallway.

Tomorrow morning I would have to leave. I hadn't packed the things I would need then yet, having saved a suitcase for them.

I walked around the long hallways of the castle, until I was in the one I had been in the first night I came here.

I remembered how dark it had been everywhere, how I had found Esme's note and how I had seen a statue through the small window in this hallway. It was placed in a small square in the centre of the castle. A small garden, surrounded by the walls from the building. I hadn't been there yet, a fact which surprised me.

I walked around the hallway, looking for a door that would lead me to the garden. I had to walk through several hallways until I found it. It was a small, wooden door, with an old, black metal latch. I opened it and pushed the door open, revealing the small and peaceful garden, with in its centre, the beautiful statue.

I looked at the man and woman, entangled in an embrace. Her hair getting twisted up in his clothing. They seemed desperate, tired and hopeless.

I walked around it, but there was no sign that would tell me who they were. I was amazed by their beauty, how perfect they were.

The small garden fitted perfectly with the vibe the statue was giving. The ivy covering up the bricks, thus creating a sense of being in a real garden, not just a small one in the middle of a large building.

I suddenly felt like including the statue in my article and I rushed back to the entrance hall. I got a piece of paper and a pencil out of my bag and made my way back to the garden.

I looked around and was glad to see that there was a small bench. I sat down and started drawing the statue from the point of view I was seated in.

I had never been a good drawer, but I was so caught up in the statue, I hardly noticed. I didn't need to make a beautiful drawing, I needed to catch the essence of the couple who had been immortalized in stone. I needed to have something to remember them by, knowing a picture would never do them justice. I, however, did take a picture of them, not fully trusting my drawing ability.

I finished the drawing and left the garden.

I placed the drawing carefully in my suitcase and made my way to the large, outside garden, making a stroll through it for the last time. The few characteristic points made my heart ache, knowing how much I would miss them.

The gazebo, the small, crumbled garden-house and the view I had upon the hills were even more amazing than they had been before, with the sun setting upon them.

It surprised me to see that it was already turning into evening. I walked back to the castle and went to the livingroom.

How many times I hadn't sat here with Emmett and Rosalie. We had watched movies, told stories and watched Emmett goof around.

I smiled as I realised I would see them again soon. Just like I would see Alice and Jasper, whom I had missed terribly.

Alice had called this morning, excited to see me again and promising to be there at the airport as I would arrive.

I made dinner for myself and ate it in the kitchen, listening to the silence.

Many things had happened at the castle, many of them had changed my life. I had enjoyed my stay here and hoped I could return sometime.

I made on final stroll through the castle and then went to bed.

The next morning, I ate a quick breakfast and called a cab. I made sure that everything in the castle was as I had found it when I had first arrived here and I put on my coat.

I heard the car driving across the driveway and I exited the castle, closing the huge door behind me.

It felt like I was closing a chapter in my life and beginning a new one.

The cabdriver helped me to get my bags in the trunk and we set off towards the airport. I looked at the castle one last time and smiled.

The ride to the airport seemed slower this time and as we arrived, I got my bags from the trunk, paid the cabdriver and entered the airport.

I went through the regular procedure, went through customs and bought a magazine in the tax-free shop.

I boarded the plane and saw someone was already in the seat next to me. It was an elder man, who, besides greeting me politely, didn't think it necessary to speak to me again. I didn't mind and started reading my book once we were up in the air.

I was eager to see Alice and Jasper again and to be back in London.

I wanted to give my boss my article and I wanted to find a new apartment soon. I didn't want to hold Alice up from moving in with Jasper.

After reading my book for a few minutes, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep a bit.

When I woke up, we were already very close to London. We were going to land in a few minutes.

After we had landed, I grabbed my bags and left the plane. The airport was full of people and I had to force my way through the crowd, until I got to a less crowded space.

I looked around and spotted two familiar persons. Alice's spiky, black hair stood out in the crowd, despite her being quite short, and Jasper's tall, lanky body towered over most people.

I laughed and rushed towards them, dragging my bags along.


	20. Chapter 20

**20**

"It's so good to see you, Bella! We've all missed you so much!" Alice shrieked in my ear.

I laughed and wrapped my arm around her. "I've missed you too, honey." She laughed and took Jasper's hand.

I gave Jasper a look and he sighed, "Fine, I'll admit it, I missed you too," he said, huffing.

"That's so sweet. Thank you very much, Jasper," I said innocently.

"Let's get back to the apartment and let you tell all about your time at _Birkhill Castle_," she said dramatically. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her.

"All right, but I've already told you most of it, so it'll be a short story." She shrugged and got the key out of her handbag as we arrived at the apartment. I looked at the familiar door and wondered how many times I would walk through it from now on. Alice nor Jasper had mentioned anything about this or any other apartment.

As we entered, I eyed them, but saw nothing suspicious. I realised I was being ridiculous and felt embarrassed with myself.

"All right! I'll get the wine out, Bella, you'll get some food and Jasper will put on some music or something," Alice shouted as she was already walking towards the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and giggled, seeing Jasper walking towards the CD's with a sad face. He always had to do something like that, we would always do the food and drinks. I had never really given it any thought or considered that perhaps Jasper wanted to do that too.

It seemed ridiculous and I wondered if my thoughts were getting a bit strange due to lack of sleep. I hadn't slept since I got up so early this morning and it was already quite late in the evening.

I shrugged and followed Alice to the kitchen, where she was already opening a bottle of white wine.

"I'll just make some appetizers," I said, smiling as I realised how good it felt to be back in my own kitchen. Well, _our_ kitchen, for now at least.

"That's fine, I'll go brings these glasses to the livingroom and then I'll come back to help you," I heard her say. I nodded vaguely in her direction, but continued cutting up some cucumber.

I heard some music starting and muffled voices in the livingroom, but didn't pay attention to it.

Soon, I had made a full plate with food, and as Alice walked in, she seemed quite surprised to see how much I had done in so little time.

"If you would be so kind to hand me a towel, dear Alice," I said, jokingly. She rolled her eyes and threw a towel my way.

"There you go, milady," she giggled. I caught it and placed it on the countertop. Alice went on and helped me with preparing some appetizers. When we were finished, we brought them to the livingroom, where we saw Jasper sitting on the couch, sipping from his wine, looking like a lost puppy.

We shared a look and laughed out loud, which made him look behind him. Alice rushed towards him and sat down beside him.

"So, Bella. Let me think, the last thing I recall, is that you told me you and Edward had a fight again in the library," she said, making it sound like my life was a soap she was following.

"Yes, well, I found him packing his stuff and he told he was leaving along with his parents towards London. So, after a few moments, I realised that I didn't want him to go while he was mad at me. I walked downstairs, apologized and we made up," I said, smiling slightly.

"That's so romantic," Alice said dreamily, "But wait! That means he is in London _now_?" I nodded and saw her eyes widen. "Why didn't you invite him?"

I rolled my eyes. "I've only just arrived Alice, it would be weird to immediately call him up and ask him over," I said matter-of-factly. She nodded thoughtfully and agreed with me.

I noticed Jasper looking between us with a slight furrow between his brows. I casually waved my hand in the air, as if to say he shouldn't worry.

"You're a man, you won't understand _the rules_ if we explained them." Alice nodded, while she laughed.

"Yes, and I don't think I really want to know them," he said, eyeing us suspiciously.

We laughed and shared a look.

"Does he even know you're in London?" Jasper asked me.

"Well, I did call him yesterday to tell him I was going back to London today, but I haven't called him yet." Alice stood up, walked towards the phone and picked it up.

"I think you should call him now. He's probably expecting you to give him a call anyway." I sighed and hesitantly took the phone from her.

"But, you see, he didn't call me when he arrived in London. And perhaps he's having dinner at the moment. Alice, I don't think this is such a good idea," I told her.

"Oh, nonsense. You're just scared. Call him," she said, looking at the phone. I gave her an incredulous look, but she didn't seem to notice. She could be quite bossy sometimes.

"Fine, I will. If you'll excuse me, I will go to the hallway now," I said, smiling as I saw Alice's slightly disappointed face. She probably wanted to hear our conversation.

I closed the door behind me and looked at the phone. I doubted for a moment, but phoned his number anyway. It went over a few times, before a female voice told me I had reached his voicemail.

I felt relieved and slightly disappointed. I did wanted to speak to him, but this did spare me having to tell Alice everything.

I walked back into the living-room and they looked up, surprised.

"That was quick, he couldn't have had much to say," Jasper said. I shot him a look.

"Voicemail," I said and sat down on the couch. I grabbed a small toast with smoked salmon.

"Well, doesn't matter," Alice said, hiding her disappointment. I believe she really wanted to know everything about him. I was already worrying what she would do when they would actually meet.

"Let's stop talking about him for a moment," I suggested. Alice raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Anyone up for a game?" She asked, smiling at us.

That's how we ended up sitting on the living-room floor, all different kinds off board-games surrounding us. We had to admit, we might have been a little tipsy from the wine. We had played a few games and were now playing one we hadn't opened in quite a few years. I wasn't really paying attention, I was just throwing the dice and moving the figure that represented myself.

"Bella, it's your turn again, you have to keep attention!" Alice giggled, sounding a bit like a little child.

"Fine, fine," I murmured, throwing the dice.

"No, you always throw six, it's so unfair," Jasper suddenly exclaimed, earning Alice's and my raised my eyebrows.

"Sorry, Jazz," I said, smiling and batting my eyelashes. He rolled his eyes and snorted.

"You know, if you look at it from this angle, my little figure looks a bit like a creepy clown," I murmured, tilting my head. Alice and Jasper did the same and agreed with me. I was satisfied and gave the dice to Alice.

I yawned and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Your turn," Alice said to me. I blinked a few times and realised I must have fallen a sleep a few seconds. I looked a bit dazed and Alice noticed.

"Perhaps we should go to bed," she said. I nodded and stood up, a bit unstable on my legs.

We left all the games on the floor, not really bothering to put everything back in the boxes, that would come tomorrow.

Jasper stayed, of course, and I saw them disappear in Alice's room. I sighed and turned off the lights. I tried to make my way towards my room without tripping over something and somehow made it. I walked into my room, put on my pyjamas with a dazed mind and fell on top of the bed.

While lying on my bed, I noticed that I hadn't closed the curtains yet, but couldn't bother to get up and close them. I looked at the moon for a few moments until I fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

**21**

My phone went off from the living-room, but surprisingly didn't wake me. However, Alice shouting towards my room to pick it up, _did_.

"Bella! Pick up the phone before I get up and kill you!" Alice shouted, her voice sounding muffled through the walls.

"Relax, I will," I said, sighing, knowing she wouldn't hear me. I got up, feeling groggy. The sun was shining through my window and I remembered not closing the curtains last night.

My phone was still ringing and I hurried towards the living-room, rapidly blinking my eyes, willing myself to wake up.

I entered the living-room and immediately tripped, falling on the floor. I grabbed my knee where it hurt and groaned as my phone stopped ringing. I cursed the box I had just tripped over and looked around the room in disbelief. I couldn't remember we had left it this messy.

There was a scratch on my knee and I sat on the floor, trying to ignore the pain. I shoved the boxes and other pieces from the games out of my way and tried to get up. I limped towards the table, where my phone was, and picked it up.

I smiled as I saw Edward had called and took my phone with me to my bedroom.

The clock in my room told me it was seven am. Why did he have to call this early?

I yawned and fell back on top of the bed.

I was really tired and probably not really fit to talk to anyone at the moment. I held the phone in my hand, ready to type in his number, but my eyes started to droop and my bed was still warm. I crawled underneath the blankets and closed my eyes.

I groaned and rolled over as the sound of ringing filled my ears, again. I opened my eyes as I felt I had rolled on top of my phone. I sat up and searched between the blankets for my phone.

Just as I had found it, Alice stormed in my room with her hair standing out on all sides.

"Geez, Bella, pick up the damn phone. It's half past seven in the morning," she said, rubbing her head.

I nodded and smiled slightly, Alice could be such a happy person in the morning.

"Hello?" I asked, as I had pressed the green button on my phone. Alice left the room with a satisfied smile on her face and closed the door behind her.

"Hi, Bella, It's Edward," I heard his velvet voice say. My smile got wider and I started walking around the room, something I always did when I was on the phone.

"Edward, nice of you to call," I said.

"I just wanted to know how your flight was," he said casually.

"It was fine, I slept through most of it."

"That's good," he said, sounding slightly awkward. "I'm sorry I called this early," he blurted out.

"That's fine, I don't sleep in that much," I told him, perhaps lying a little bit. I didn't want him to feel bad for doing something nice.

"Oh, good, I felt a bit guilty." I had to suppress my laugh as he admitted that. Sometimes he could be quite cute. "Perhaps we could do something today?" he asked.

"I would love to," I said, smiling.

"Great, I'll pick you up at ten am, all right?"

"Yes, that would be perfect. I'll see you then," I said and we hung up.

I threw my phone on top of my bed and got dressed. I looked out of the window and saw the sun shining. I left my bedroom and saw Jasper standing in the kitchen, pouring some drinks for us.

Alice was probably back to bed. He handed me a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks," I said and I sat down on the bar chair. He nodded and sat down besides me.

"Alice and I are probably going out this afternoon, will that be all right with you? I don't want you to be alone here the entire day," he said, sounding concerned. It annoyed me slightly that they would think I had nothing else to do than to hang out with them.

"I'm going to do something with Edward, so no need to worry," I told him, smiling reassuringly.

"Really? Have fun," he said, smiling broadly. I suddenly realised that every time Alice and Jasper had gone out in the period before I went to Birkhill Castle, they must have felt guilty for leaving me alone. Me being with Edward must be such a relief for them, that they wouldn't have to worry about me like that anymore. I smiled sadly, thinking of how pathetic I must have been to them.

"Thanks Jazz," I said, my voice having a tint of sadness in it. Jasper seemed to notice, but didn't know why, so he didn't ask about it.

"What are you going to do?" I asked him.

"Well, we're going to the mall, Alice said she wanted to do some shopping, and we'll go to the park…" he said, in a way that made me think he left something out. I raised my eyebrows, but he looked away.

"And you and Edward?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know, I suppose Edward's got an idea," I said, furrowing my brows. He nodded and finished his orange juice.

"I'm going to wake Alice, otherwise we won't be on time," he said and walked towards the bedroom.

I wondered why they needed to be on time for shopping or the park. I sighed and drank my orange juice. I looked at Alice's bedroom door and heard them talking. On the counter was a brochure of something, I couldn't read it. As I was about to get up and look at it, Jasper returned.

"She's awake," he said, shaking his head. "I don't think she really wanted to wake up, but when I mentioned the shopping again, she seemed to be most willing to get up." I laughed, but my eyes were still fixed on the brochure. If Jasper saw me looking at it, he didn't show it.

"Shall we watch some TV until Alice is ready?" he asked.

"Then we'll have to watch TV for a _long_ time," I said jokingly.

We sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, the atmosphere a little tense.

We watched TV silently, every now and then glancing towards Alice's bedroom. Eventually she entered the living-room, looking as stunning as ever. Jasper's eyes lit up and he got up.

Alice walked to the kitchen and quickly ate something.

"Ok Jazz, I'm ready to go," she said, smiling radiantly. They put on their coats and left the apartment, after saying goodbye to me.

I looked at the clock and saw I still had an hour until Edward would come. I walked to the kitchen, curious as to what the brochure was about.

I groaned as I saw it wasn't on the counter anymore. Alice had probably put it in her bag when she was eating something in the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and made a sandwich.

I wondered why I was feeling so suspicious, it was just a stupid brochure. I sighed and started eating.

When I finished my breakfast, I walked into my bedroom to put on some make-up. It wouldn't hurt to look nice when I would see Edward again after a little more than three weeks.

When I was done, I still had half an hour to kill. I wasn't in the mood to watch TV again at all.

I saw that all the games were shoved in a corner of the room and I shook my head. I spent the half hour trying to decipher which figures and cards belonged with what board and box.

When I was finished and had put all the games in a cabin, I had to rearrange my hair again.

While I was doing that, someone knocked on the door, making my heart speed up and my hands get clammy. I took a deep breath and walked towards the door, throwing a quick glance to the mirror. Satisfied with what I saw, I opened the door and looked in Edward's green eyes.

"Hello beautiful," he said, smiling. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the key from the table next to the door. I closed the door and we walked towards his car.

"So, Edward, what are we going to do today?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows as I saw his mischievous smile.

"You'll see," he said, throwing his arm around my shoulders.


	22. Chapter 22

**22**

"I don't like surprises," I muttered stubbornly. He laughed and threw his arm around my shoulders.

"Well, I'll tell you that it involves a cemetery," he said mysteriously. I raised my eyebrows.

"A cemetery? What are we going to do? Some kind of creepy ceremony with candles?" I asked him. He just laughed again and shook his head.

"No, unfortunately not."

I rolled my eyes and we got in the car. We drove through London for a while, until we were in the outskirts of London. When we went through a forest, I started getting suspicious. Eventually we ended up at a beautiful, Victorian house. I raised one eyebrow as we stopped in front of the front door.

"Come on, we'll get inside," Edward said and he got out of the car. He opened my door and looked up at the house.

"We're _not_ going inside. I'm almost completely certain it doesn't belong to any of your great-great grandmothers or something. We're not trespassing," I told him, but he didn't listen and walked up to the front door.

"You're right, but it almost belonged to one of them." I shot him a quizzical look.

"To whom?" I asked. My eyes widened as he got a key out of his pocket.

"Which one do you know?" he asked, smiling as he opened the door.

"Elizabeth? I'm not following you," I said.

"This is William's house. If Elizabeth had married him, it would've have been her house. I have contacted William's descendants, explained the story and I was allowed to get in here. No one lives here at the moment, which is a shame," he told me.

I furrowed my brow and looked at the house. This was William's house, he had lived in London.

"Are we going inside or not?" Edward asked me, holding the door open.

"Of course!" I exclaimed and I entered the house, ignoring his amused look. I watched the entrance hall with amazed eyes.

The large staircase was placed in the middle of the large room, which had a incredibly high ceiling. The staircase itself and the walls were all mahogany wood, which shimmered beautifully in the light that fell through the large windows above the front door, facing the stairs. On the floor was a large, dark red carpet, as large as the entire floor. On the left wall were two large paintings on which were a man and a woman painted, both set up in the same style. On the right wall was a large door. On both sides of the staircase was a small door, tucked away in the shade and almost invisible next to the great grandeur of the staircase. The front door itself existed out of two large doors with colored windows in the upper-part.

I took a deep breath and noticed how it even smelled like a large and old house. I suddenly realised I must have been admiring the room for a long time and quickly threw a glance towards Edward, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks.

"It's beautiful," I said, my voice sounding particularly empty and insignificant in such an enormous and mysterious house.

Edward nodded and stared in my eyes. I stared back, but eventually had to look away. I walked towards the painting and concentrated on the man. From the year mentioned on the painting, I saw it must have been the father, or perhaps a young grandfather of William. I tried to create a image of how William must have looked. The painting of the man was made when the man was in - I suspected - his forties, but you could still see he had been a handsome man.

I smiled as I realised how beautiful Elizabeth and William must have looked together.

I heard Edward come up behind me, but I didn't turn around.

Edward must have had the same thoughts on his mind, because he said: "Do you think William looked like him?"

"I think he did. Do you think there's a painting of him somewhere in the house?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"There must be, let's look for it," he said, chuckling slightly.

"Up the stairs, through those little doors or that large door there?" I asked, pointing towards the door on the right side of the room. Edward seemed to consider it, but as we both looked up the beautiful stairs, our choice was made.

As I ascended the stairs, I felt strange. As if I was pretending to belong here, which I didn't and the house was trying to tell me that. My hand slid across the smooth wood of the banister.

We reached the top of the stairs and were now in a large hallway, which stretched out a long way on both our right and our left.

Edward and I shared a look, but eventually decided on right. We walked passed a lot doors, opening most of them and then taking a quick glance in the room, to see if it was anything interesting.

We reached the end of the right part of the hallway and hadn't found anything, so we returned to the top of the stairs and this time went left.

"Are you sure we will find his painting?" I asked, as we looked in yet again an ordinary room. Well, as far as you call the rooms in this house ordinary. They were all large and beautiful. Every room had a certain feature that would catch your attention and demand some admiration.

The room we were now peering into, had a large fireplace placed in the wall opposite of the door. And when I say large, I mean enormous. It filled up most of the wall and on either side was a large window, showing us the gardens that lay behind the house.

"I'll take a look at the garden through the window, all right?" I asked, already walking towards the windows.

"Yes, I'm curious too," I heard Edward say and we both ended up staring out of one of the large windows.

Most of the garden consisted out of a large lawn, surrounded by a forest. In the middle was a fountain placed in a large lake. It was all very simple, yet it had a certain subtle beauty.

I smiled and let my head rest against the window-frame.

After watching the fountain for a few moments, we left the room and finished the right part of the hallway. We still hadn't found a painting or something else involving William.

I was starting to lose my hope, but Edward didn't seem to be bothered at all. We descended the stairs, making me smile broadly. Somehow, descending an enormous stair made me feel like I was entering a ball. I glanced at Edward and felt my heart speed up.

We decided to try the large door on the right this time and entered a living room.

There were large windows on most of the right wall, giving us a different view of the garden. A large couch was placed in the middle of the room, with a coffee table in the middle, surrounded by chairs on the other sides. Above a fireplace was a painting of an old man, but we read the description, which told us it wasn't William, but a certain Harold.

There was a door on the left that led to a drawing room. From that room, we got into a smaller hallway. Through the hallway, we reached the kitchen, but left it after a quick look and ended up in the library.

Somehow, if I searched for something, I always ended up in the library, which isn't that peculiar, actually.

We smiled at each other as we saw a lot of paintings gracing the walls, next or above the many bookcases.

We split up, he to the right, I to the left, to search for a painting.

My eyes went across many paintings. A few of the faces had a very slight similarity, if you looked very closely. Those must have been the ones that were actual brothers, not the husbands of the Ashton-women.

I had paused in front of an extraordinary large painting, which was halfway the wall, and saw a man standing up, wearing a 19th century uniform and a strict look on his face. His eyes looked directly at me and it gave me chills.

I was startled when Edward called me.

"Bella, come and have a look at this," he yelled from the other side of the room. I couldn't see him, because of all the bookcases, but heard from the sound of his voice where he was.

I rushed towards him, not wanting to waste any moment and paused next to him. I looked up at the painting and saw a young man. He wasn't how I had pictured him, but not completely different either. I had formed him out of my imagination and the painting in the entrance hall, and there were similarities between him and my imagination William.

"God, he was handsome," I blurted out, before I realised what I had said. Edward gave me a strange look, before looking back at the painting.

"So, this is how _the_ William looks," I said, blushing because of my other comment. Edward nodded and murmured something incoherent.

"It's nice to finally have a decent idea of how he looks," I said, willing Edward to say _something_.

"Fortunately it is a 'handsome' picture," he muttered. I blushed, but tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"Come on, you've got to admit he isn't ugly," I chuckled. He rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"You call _this _handsome? I thought you had better taste, Bella, I really did," he said, feigning disappointment. I laughed and shook my head.

"Ah, well, I thought so too," I said.

"They would have fitted well together, Elizabeth wasn't exactly ugly either," Edward said. I laughed and raised my eyebrows.

"Edward! You do realise that she is your family. It's just _slightly_ weird to call her pretty."

"Not _just _pretty, either," he said jokingly.

"Fine, fine, they were both very handsome," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Ow, don't be jealous," he chuckled.

"I'm not! It would be so weird if you would feel something for a woman who is related to you and has been death for about two-hundred years. Unless there's something you need to tell me…" I said.

He laughed and gave me an incredulous look.

"No need to worry, I prefer living women."

"You do, do you? Good to know," I chuckled. He turned to face me and his look turned serious.

"Well, only one, actually," he said, before kissing me.


	23. Chapter 23

**23**

On a desk beneath the painting, we found a small leather-bound book. It seemed quite similar to Elizabeth's diary. I opened it and saw that in the top left corner, it said that it belonged to William.

It was completely empty, except for one page, on which one sentence was written in a very neat handwriting:

_My heart lies beneath the flower_

I showed it to Edward, but we both couldn't figure out what he had meant. I placed the book back where I had found it.

After we had walked around the house for an hour or so, we decided to leave and go to the next part of his 'surprise'. I still didn't know why we had to go to a cemetery, but I had a few ideas. Edward had said it was only a few minutes away from the house.

"Wait, I believe the car is over there," I said, stupidly pointing towards the car. Edward rolled his eyes and took my hand.

"We won't take the car," he said matter-of-factly.

"You must know me well enough to know that walking through a forest isn't one of my strong points," I told him.

"I do, but the cemetery is only a few minutes away and I'll make sure you won't fall," he said, giving me a wink. I smiled and we entered the forest.

He kept holding my hand and we walked very slowly, especially after I had almost tripped over a tree root.

The forest was very beautiful and quiet, we only heard the sound of leaves and branches under our feet and birds.

The sun was shining brightly through the lush, green leaves. As I looked up, I was met by a stunning sight. The branches of the trees hid the sky and the only thing I saw, were green leaves with the sun shining behind them. I smiled widely and felt the sun warming up my skin. Inside the house it had been quite cold, despite the warm temperature outside.

Suddenly, we weren't in the forest anymore, but on a large cemetery. I saw a church standing on a green hill, a few yards away. It was a lovely, white church, somewhat like a chapel.

The entire hill was covered in tombstones, creating a rather eery sight. Moss was covering most of them and I could imagine how almost no one would come here. Except for perhaps an old lady, who would come every week to refresh the flowers on the stone of a loved one.

I had paused, but felt Edward gently tug my hand as he led me towards a grave. It was on the side of the hill. I noticed a flower laid on the stone. It had clearly been lying there for a long time, just short enough for us to see the remains of it, as if that had been its purpose and now it could disappear any moment. The whole scene had something melancholy.

The tombstone was completely covered in moss, the letters not readable. I felt curious and walked closer to it. My hand hovered over the tombstone, not sure if it would appropriate to clean it. I shot Edward a quick glance. He nodded and I saw a slight and sad smile on his face.

I tried to get most moss and sand off the stone and soon I could read was written on it:

_In loving memory of_

_William Percy Ashton_

_1776-1802_

I sighed and looked at the engravings.

"Only twenty-six years old," I whispered, "and Elizabeth twenty-one."

"It seems unfair, doesn't it?" Edward said, not expecting an answer.

"It may sound strange, but it feels as if I really knew them. As if I understand their characters and it's only logical I'm standing here. But it isn't. If I hadn't gone to your castle and hadn't been the curious person I am, I would have never been here," I said softly, walking back to where Edward was standing.

"I'm glad you are. A curious person, I mean. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know all this about Elizabeth." I nodded and looked around the graveyard.

All the tombstones had failed to stand upright, they were slanting. The graveyard had the forest on its left and on its right were hills and fields, stretching out so far, we couldn't see where it ended.

"Do you think that church is open?" Edward suddenly asked and I turned to look at it.

"I'm not really sure, I think there hasn't been anyone here for a long time and I can hardly imagine it would be open for so long. They wouldn't run the risk, would they?" I said, frowning slightly.

Edward seemed to consider it.

"Let's see," he said and we started walking towards it. On the side of the church that was now facing the sun, was a large, wooden door, a strong contrast with the white walls. Edward put his hands on the latch and tried to open it. Disappointment crossed our faces as we both saw it wouldn't open.

I was already about to walk back to the forest, as I noticed Edward had disappeared. I walked around the corner of the church and saw him walking around the church, probably looking for another door. I rushed towards him just as he was about to turn around the corner.

We both saw the small door, hidden in the shade. Edward tried to open it and we both saw it move forward very slightly. He put his shoulder against it and pushed it further, until it was wide enough for us to get in.

The inside was just as simple as the outside, and just as beautiful. There were wooden benches and an altar at the end.

The coloured windows threw shades of blue, green and red on the black floor. On both sides of the church were small wooden tables with candles on them. I assumed they hadn't been lit in a long time.

We both went our separate ways and walked around the church for a few minutes. It was astonishing and I tried to see every little detail of it.

As my eyes went across the windows, I noticed a flower above the door we used to get in. It looked like it had been carved out of the wall.

Suddenly the sentence I had read in William's small book, the one we had found on the desk beneath his painting, came to mind.

The flower above the door was too high to reach, even for Edward and I realised this musn't be the one he meant.

I felt the hope disappear from my body as I noticed another flower, similar to the one above the door, on the floor. I reached down to touch it, but it didn't seem anything special. I saw another flower a few yards away, and I quickly discovered there was a line of flowers, running through the church. I followed it, examining every single flower, until I reached the last one. This one was also placed on the wall, only lower this time.

As I touched it, I felt the stone crumble and dust fell on the floor. The stone was very loosely set in the wall and I could easily take it out.

Edward had noticed that I had found something and was now making his way over to me.

In the hole that had now appeared in the wall, I found a folded note:

_May the love between Elizabeth Masen and William Ashton live on forever in this church, hidden behind a flower._

Edward and I shared a look after we had read it.

"William knew about this, do you think he is the one that wrote it?" I asked him.

"That seems the logical explanation. I wouldn't see why Elizabeth would write that and then place it in a church near London. I don't think she has ever been in London. I know from William's descendants, that he lived near Elizabeth when they met and went back to London. The day after he arrived, he killed himself. The story is sort of being told to every generation of their family."

I was about to answer him, when the door we came through closed with a loud noise.

"Oh, deary me, that was unfortunate," we heard an old man say. We turned around and saw a reverend walk in. It was quite an old man, a gentle smile on his face. I stood before the hole in the wall, hiding it and feeling guilty.

"Well hello there, I wasn't expecting people here," he said, as he noticed us.

"We're very sorry, we shouldn't have come here without permission," I quickly said.

"Don't worry, it's no problem at all. I almost never see people here and that's a shame. It's such a beautiful church," he said. We both nodded in agreement.

He walked towards us and I was fearing he would see the brick with the flower lying on the floor.

As he lit some candles, he placed the bible he had been holding on a table and stood next to us, smiling kindly.

"I see you've found the secret place," he said, smiling knowingly. I turned red and was stammering an apology as he raised his hand.

"I found it a long time ago, although I never bothered to look up who they were. Perhaps you two know them?" he asked, raising his brushy eyebrows.

"We do, actually," Edward said, stepping forward as he started to explain. After he had finished, the reverend had a thoughtful look upon his face.

"Aha, now I see. That's very interesting. I do actually know who put it there. It's the reverend that was here a long time ago, the time of Elizabeth and William, I suppose. I have heard the story about them from the former reverend, although I'm sorry to say I forgot most of it. But I do remember his name, would you like to have it?" he asked.

"Yes, that would be very kind," I told him, feeling excited. He went to the small table he had put his bible on, got a piece of paper and a pen from a drawer and wrote down the name _Alfred Lawrence_.

I gratefully took the small piece of paper and, after thanking him most profoundly, we left the church with a big smile on our faces.


	24. Chapter 24

**24**

We returned to his apartment in London and started up his computer. We didn't know if we would find anything about Alfred Lawrence, but we decided to give it a try.

"Ah, the wonders of the Internet," I sighed, smiling as we had found a telephone number that should be from Alfred.

I picked up the phone and looked at Edward.

"Are we really going to do this?" I asked him.

"Yes, I think we should. Shall I call?"

"No, no, I want to do this, if you don't mind," I told him. He shook his head and smiled at me.

I typed in the number and felt my heart speed up as it started calling.

"Julia Lawrence," a soft, female voice said. I smiled as I heard her last name.

"Hello, I am Bella Swan and I would like to ask you something. Or rather, Alfred Lawrence, if this is the correct number," I said politely. I heard a sharp intake of breath and I furrowed my brows.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Alfred Lawrence, my father, has died seven years ago," she said, sadness in her voice. My eyes went wide and I saw Edward looking curious.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea," I said, feeling horrible.

"That's fine. But what did you want to ask him?" she asked me.

"This may sound strange, but something about William Ashton and Elizabeth Masen," I said.

"Ah, yes, I know about them. My father told me something about them. I don't remember everything, but I believe he wrote it down somewhere. I can look it up, if you want to?" she asked me. I smiled widely.

"Yes, that would be great," I told her.

"All right, if I can have your number, I'll call you back tomorrow," she said. I gave her my number and we hung up.

The time went very slowely and it seemed to take forever for the day to become the night. I had left Edward's apartment after we had discussed our day and had arrived at my apartment.

Alice was already cooking dinner and seemed relieved to see me arrive. She soon asked me about my day and I told her everything about it. She seemed very interested and made me promise to tell her everything I heard from Julia.

I went to bed early, eager for the day to end and the next one to begin. I had no clue as to when Julia would call me, but I was planning on getting up early and go to work, my phone with me all the time.

It would be strange to go back to work after such a long time, but I had missed it. The whole adventure of going to Scotland had been amazing, but I loved my job and was looking forward to continuing it.

I knew I would receive my boss's opinion about my article tomorrow and that made me even more nervous. Tomorrow was, I realised as I lay in bed, a very important day for me.

The next day, I was walking through my office the entire time, feeling nervous. I had just sat down on my chair, as my boss walked in, with papers in her hand. I saw the title and realised it was my article.

I took a deep breath and got up.

"Good morning, Mrs Dawson," I said, smiling politely.

"Good morning to you, Ms Swan," she said. I offered her a seat and we sat down. I had to fight the urge to fiddle with my hands, something I did when I was nervous.

"How was Scotland?" she asked. If she noticed my nervousness, she didn't show it.

"Amazing, I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you, again, for arranging my stay there," I told her. She waved it off and placed my article on my desk.

"No problem. I'm glad to hear you had a pleasant stay there. I've been to Scotland once and I thought it was beautiful. Those green hills and rocks, splendid," she said, smiling, as her eyes glazed over, remembering.

"Yes, the castle was placed near lovely scenery." I was trying to hide my impatience.

"Very well then. Let's talk about your article," she finally said, making my heart speed up as I leaned forward.

"I must say, it was very surprising. It was not at all what I had expected. I assumed you would write an article about Scotland itself, how it looked and how the people and buildings were. And I'm sure that if you had done that, it would've turned out great. But it wouldn't have been special or original.

However, what you _have _written, is quite different. The whole love story between Elizabeth and William was very interesting, it almost felt as if I was reading a novel. How amazing it is that you stumbled upon an undiscovered story like that. And to think all the clues were right there, in the castle.

I think you did a great job and I'm looking forward to publishing this in the magazine. I'm absolutely positive we will receive good reviews," she said, leaving me speechless. Not in my dreams had I thought she would be so positive about my article. I couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading across my face.

"Thank you, Mrs Dawson. I've had great pleasure in writing it and discovering more secrets about them and I, too, cannot wait for it to be published. However, I have found out something about them recently. Would it be possible to add something to the article, before we publish it?" I asked her, feeling hopeful.

"Well, the story has gone passed the actual maximum size and if you add even more, it would be too long to publish in the magazine. But I think we can make an arrangement. Perhaps if we dedicate an entire magazine to it. We can make the other articles about Scotland, castles and forgotten love stories. What would you think about that?" she asked me.

"That would be amazing! I do not deserve the honour of having an entire magazine dedicated to my article, but if it would happen, that would be great," I told her, blushing slightly.

"Nonsense, of course you deserve it. You spent so much time on this article and the result is fantastic. And considering the fact you will add some more to it, it will be a perfect head article for a magazine. Don't worry, I will make sure there will be a magazine in a few months dedicated to William and Elizabeth. And I would appreciate it if you would help me pick out the other articles that are going to be in the magazine," she told me, patting my hand.

"I would love to, thank you very much," I said and I watched her get up and leave my office.

As soon as she closed my door, I got up and let out a squeal, not loud enough for the people outside my office to hear.

I could already imagine a magazine about Elizabeth and William. I was feeling incredibly happy and dreaded the last hour I would have to spend at work. I wanted to go home and tell Alice and Edward all about it.

Eventually I arrived at my apartment, still feeling giddy. However, as I walked in, I noticed a few boxes standing near Alice's bedroom's door. I frowned slightly and closed the door behind me.

"Alice?" I asked, looking around the apartment.

"Bella! You're home," her excited voice came from her room. She entered the livingroom and walked towards me.

"How did it go?" she asked, jumping up and down in a very Alice-like manner.

"Very well, they are going to make an entire magazine about them," I said, smiling. She hugged me tightly before smiling widely at me.

"I knew it! It's going to be great," she said. I coughed and eyed the boxes. Alice didn't notice and sat down on the couch.

"Erm, Alice, what are those boxes doing there?" I asked, slightly hesitant, not sure if I wanted to know.

"Ow, yes, those. Well, Jasper and I found an apartment. But don't worry, it will take at least a few months before we actually move in," she said casually, as if she wasn't realising how big of a deal this was to me.

"Then why are you already starting to pack?" I asked, feeling slightly annoyed she wasn't giving more details.

"I was just packing the things I won't be needing these few months, just so I won't have to do everything at once," she said, looking at me. I couldn't stop the frown on my face.

"Bella, don't be sad," she exclaimed, getting up to hug me. "It will be forever until I actually live there and in the meantime we can find you an apartment that is very close to ours," she said cheerfully. I nodded, not as convinced as she was.

"Let's go out for dinner, all right?" she asked with raised eyebrows and a large smile.

"I would love to Alice, but I need to stay home." Her smile dropped slightly and she gave me a quizzical look.

"Why?"

"I'm expecting a call," I said, chuckling.

"Of course! How could I forget?"

"Well then, we'll have to cook ourselves," I said and I walked to the kitchen.

"Bells, can't we just order pizza or something. You can't seriously be in the mood to cook right now?" she said, pouting.

"You're right, let's order pizza," I said and I walked to the phone. I dialed the local pizza place and ordered to pizza's. Alice was grinning as she sat on the couch.

"I think someone's hungry," I said, laughing as I saw Alice looking at the door expectingly.

I heard the phone ring and I immediately got up.

"That must be her," Alice noted. I rolled my eyes and smiled at her.

"Yes, I think so too. Watch the door, will you, Alice? I have to take this phone call," I said, laughing.

"Hello?" I said to the phone, relieved that she had finally called.


	25. Chapter 25

**25**

"Hello Bella, it's Julia," I heard her soft voice say.

"Hi Julia, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Sorry I called so late, though. I had some trouble finding the book in which my father had written the story. Well, it's not really a story, more a short anecdote. However, would you like me to tell you what's basically in there or would you like to read it yourself?" she asked.

"It would be fine if you would read it," I said.

"All right. Well, it all starts with the death of Elizabeth, I suppose you know about that?" she asked.

"Yes, I do."

"William was heartbroken and was already planning on killing himself, as he went to the church. He was religious and went to pray, even though he knew it could be useless.

The reverend found him there and as William told him his story, the reverend felt bad for him. He wanted to keep William from killing himself, but he didn't succeed. As the news reached him that William had killed himself, he thought it his duty to do something for them. A sort of secret remembrance, so he could know that their spirits would live on. He thought it would give him peace. He didn't know how to do that, but he quickly decided that it had to be in the church. It was a holy place where Elizabeth and William couldn't be harmed. He pried the stone in the wall loose, for he had read William's sentence in his diary. He knew that William had paid special attention to the flowers in the church and it seemed the perfect place for a remembrance for them. Eventually he decided upon a simple note, that if anyone would ever discover it, they would know what it was about. He put the note behind the flower, put the brick back in the wall and lit two candles," Julia told me, her voice soft but filled with emotion. I realised she would be good at telling stories and then I realised what a strange thought that was to have at that moment.

"Thank you so much for telling me, somehow it feels nice to know," I told her.

"You're welcome. Seeing you're so interested, shall I make a copy of the story like it's written in this book and send it to you?" she asked me.

"That would be great, yes, thank you," I told her, feeling excited.

"No problem, but tell me, why are you so interested in their story?" I began to tell her about my trip to Scotland and eventually came to the point of Edward and me finding the note in the church.

I heard the pizza deliver guy knocking on the door and, after promising her to send her a copy of the article, I hung up and entered the living room.

"So, tell me the story," Alice said, walking to the kitchen to get plates for the pizza.

I told her what I had heard and, after we had eaten the pizza, decided to call Edward.

I rang his home number and was surprised when a female voice answered. However, I quickly recognised Rosalie's voice.

"Hi Rose!" I said cheerfully.

"Hello Bella, trying to reach Edward?" she said and I could almost see her smiling smugly.

"Yes, actually I am. Just tell him I just had a call from Julia," I told her.

"Julia?" she asked, puzzled.

"Just tell him," I said, laughing. I heard her muffled voice as she called out to Edward and said something to him.

"Hello, beautiful, what have you heard?" he asked. I quickly repeated the story, the second time that evening.

"Wow, that was a _very_ nice reverend," he said dumbly. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"Yes, he certainly was," I said. I saw Alice walking towards me and gave her a questioning look. She didn't say anything, she just grabbed the phone out of my hands.

"Hello Edward!" Alice exclaimed. "I was just listening to dear Bella here and was thinking that I still need to meet Rosalie and Emmett. What do you think about arranging a meeting between the six of us?" she stated. She kept silent for a while until she mentioned a date and agreed with him. She smiled and handed the phone to me. I raised my eyebrows, but took the phone from her nonetheless.

"Sorry about that," I said, slightly confused. Edward laughed and I heard Emmett say something in the background.

"Alice and I just agreed on a date for the six of us to meet," he said.

"That's great, I'm already looking forward to see what Alice and Rosalie will think about each other."

He agreed and told me he had to go, they were all going out for dinner. We said goodbye and hung up.

The rest of the evening, I spent on adding information to my article. I knew I couldn't finish until I received the complete story from Julia, so I could check all the information about the reverend.

Surprisingly, I was able to write the whole part about the reverend in that evening and it felt nice to have basically finished it.

Alice read it and commented on it. I was glad I had someone to read it over and give me some advice about it.

We spent the entire evening watching movies and eventually fell asleep on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable place, but we both didn't have the energy to get up.

The last thing I noticed before I fell asleep, was that a strange glow of orange light came from the corner of the room, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

"Bella! Wake up, for Christ's sake!" I heard someone shout in my ear. My eyes shot open. The livingroom was filled with smoke and I saw the curtains on fire. I looked around and saw Alice was already on the phone, shouting frantically. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed the largest object I could find – a large flower vase, I had to throw all the flowers in the sink – and filled it with as much water I could, before I rushed back to the living room and threw it on the curtains. It helped a little, most of the right curtain was quenched, but the left was still on fire and was now slowly spreading towards my desk.

I faintly noticed the sweat on my forehead and I remembered to try not to inhale the smoke. I narrowed my eyes, because the smoke made them sting and tried to make my way towards the desk. The legs were starting to burn and I quickly grabbed my laptop from the desk. I placed it on the couch and returned to the kitchen with the vase, to fill it again.

When I returned, I saw – to my great relief – a few fireman standing in our livingroom, quenching the fire.

I coughed and rushed towards Alice, whose eyes were large and watery.

Soon, the fire was put out and all the windows were opened. We had to leave the apartment. Alice didn't want to go, she wanted to see if anything valuable was burned, but we were led outside by two firemen.

Outside, I filled my lungs with fresh air and tried to calm down. I saw smoke come out of our window and tears filled my eyes.

I tried to remember what had been in and on the desk, but my mind was dazed and tired and I couldn't remember.

Alice and I were brought to the hospital and placed in a bed, where we spent the rest of the evening.

Lying on the bed, I saw Alice's small form lying on the bed next to me, eyes shut tightly and her fingers gripping the blanket. She was asleep, but appeared to be having a nightmare.

I glanced around the dark room, seeing the lit hallway through the window, with nurses and doctors walking through it. My eyes started to droop, but I was afraid to fall asleep.

Eventually, I couldn't stay awake any longer and slowly fell asleep.

The next morning we were allowed to go back to our apartment, with a few firemen. The second we walked in, Alice gasped and threw a hand over her mouth.

The curtains had dropped on the floor and were completely black. The floor around the curtains was also black and the desk had collapsed, but wasn't completely ruined yet.

Suddenly, I remembered coming back from Scotland and unpacking my suitcase. I had – after asking Edward and Carlisle for permission – taken Elizabeth and William's letters with me. I had opened my suitcase and had found the letters and the box I had found in the woods. I had put the box in the top drawer of my closet and had placed the letters in the small drawer of the desk, standing in front of the window.

I gasped and rushed towards the desk, yanking the drawers open. My eyes were blinded with tears – tears of anguish and shock – and I couldn't see properly. My hands felt in the drawer, but only felt a few pencils. I opened the next drawer and felt my heart stop as I felt ashes. I blinked away my tears and between the ashes, which had now blackened my hands, I saw a ribbon. I grabbed it and saw how the ends had caught fire, but it had probably been put out just in time by the firemen.

I held it up and let out a shaky breath. Alice came and sat down besides me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You've got the most important messages from those letters in your article, right?" She asked. I nodded and got up, looking around the room for a safe place for the ribbon.

I had just placed it in my room, as I heard someone rush into our apartment.

"Bella?" Edward shouted. I rushed towards him and saw Jasper standing behind him. I nodded towards him, before throwing my hands around Edward.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh Edward, it's so horrible!" I exclaimed.

"I know it is, but everything will be all right," he said, trying to soothe me.

"I'm sure you will hate me when I tell what has happened," I said, sobbing onto his shirt. He caressed my back as he kissed my forehead.

"Of course not, what has happened?" I looked up at him and saw his beautiful, kind green eyes.

"The… the letters are gone," I said softly.

"Elizabeth and William's?" he asked. I nodded and looked away.

"Did you really think I could care about that? That _that_ would be what I would worry about? I'm so immensely glad that you are okay, that the letters don't even matter to me," he said, smiling as he hugged me tightly. I sobbed, but a smile spread across my face as I felt relief spreading through my body.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Now, let's all go to have lunch. The six of us, as we had promised, and let the insurance and firemen make sure everything will be fixed, all right?" he asked, taking my coat from the hatstand.

I noticed how Alice had already put on her jacket and was now walking through the hallway, holding Jasper's hand. I gave the fireman the key and left the apartment, not wanting to look at the black walls again.


	26. Chapter 26

**26**

"Oh my God, Alice, Bella! Are you all right?" Rosalie exclaimed as Alice and I entered the bar.

"Yes, yes, we are absolutely fine," Alice said reassuringly.

"Our apartment, on the other hand, isn't," I said, pouting slightly. They laughed and we all sat down. I noticed Emmett, Jasper and Edward already sitting there in conversation. I waved at them and picked up the menu.

"Have you got any idea how the fire started?" Rosalie asked us. We both shook our heads.

"No, not at all. We didn't light any candles. And even if we had, they wouldn't have been anywhere near the curtains," I said, frowning.

"Me neither, no idea. But there has to be a reason. Well, the firemen are already working on the report, they said it will be done this evening if we're lucky." Rosalie nodded thoughtfully.

The boys now turned their attention toward us.

"How are you feeling?" Emmett asked.

"Really guys, we are fine," Alice said, smiling at everyone. I felt Edward grab my hand and he gave it a little squeeze.

"Glad to hear that. Now that that's out of the way, let's order some food," Emmett said, smiling broadly. We rolled our eyes and chose what to eat.

"So Bella, have you already published your article?" Jasper asked me. I shook my head.

"No, not yet. I'm hoping to receive a copied story tomorrow and then I will finish my article. And then my boss and I have to make the entire magazine around the article, so it will be a while before it will actually lie in the stores," I told him.

"Well, you can expect that we are all going to buy a copy," Rosalie said, winking at me.

I laughed, "Really, that wouldn't be necessary." They all nodded and promised that they would buy one, not listening to my protests.

We got our food and started eating. I looked around and saw how well Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett got along, almost as if they had been friends for a long time. I smiled and caught Alice's gaze, who raised her eyebrows. I pointed at Emmett and Jasper in conversation and she seemed to understand.

After the lunch, I returned to the apartment alone – Alice went with Jasper to his home. She had looked tired and weak and Jasper and I had agreed it would be best for her to not sleep at home.

I walked up to the door, knowing the firemen would probably still be here. I knocked on the door and a fireman opened the door, smiling sympathetically. I nodded politely and entered the apartment. I took a deep breath, trying to stop my tears, as I saw how bad the room looked. I shook my head and was wondering how I could clean it.

"Miss? We have the report of the fire," I heard a male voice say behind me. I turned around and was met with a solemn-looking fireman. I nodded slowly, urging him to continue.

"The fire was quite certainly lit by someone. Would you have any idea who might have done it?" he asked. I felt air escape from my lungs as my eyes widened.

"The fire was on purpose?" I said, my voice weak. He nodded slowly. "Well, I have no idea who could have done this. Me, nor Alice, have any enemy of such kind," I told him.

"You had left the window open and we think it's most likely someone walked up to the window and lit the curtains. Thankfully Ms Brandon woke up immediately," he said.

The firemen left and I was left to clean up the place. Alice had already gone to shop to buy some white paint this morning, so we could paint the walls again. We would have to be without curtains for a week, because that's how long it took the store to make new ones. Alice had seemed determined to get everything back to the way it was before the fire.

The floor was ruined and we would have to put new carpet in that particular area, but Alice had already ordered it.

I heard the phone ring from the hallway and rushed towards it.

"Yes?" I said.

"Ms Bella Swan?"A deep, rough voice asked. I swallowed and willed my heart to slow down, which had suddenly sped up by hearing this unfamiliar voice.

"This is she," I said, sounding quite calm.

"I have been informed that you have visited the house near London, William Ashton's old house," he said slowly.

"I have," I told him, not sure how he knew that.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would consider not putting out the article about him."

"Sir, it's not completely about him, it's mostly about Elizabeth Masen,"I said, a slight tremble in my voice.

"I know that, but I still think you may reveal to much information about him and I would like it if his live would be left alone and his family would get some peace."

"Sir…" I paused, waiting for him to fill in. The other line stayed silent and I continued.

"I have worked very hard on this article and I will definitely publish it. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience it may be to you."

"I'm not completely sure you understand me. You will not publish the article and I will make sure of that," he said. I was wondering if he was threatening me.

"Are you… Are you the one that set fire to our apartment?" I said, my voice weak.

"Ms Swan, do you really expect me to answer that?" he said, a slight smirk in his voice.

"Can you give me your name?" I asked, not thinking he would give it.

"Fine, my name is David Ashton. This may clear up why I'm so personally involved in this. Ms Swan, I warn you. If I see the article published and there is information about William and his family revealed that I think shouldn't, you will feel the consequences."

"Is this a threat?" I asked, not completely sure of what was happening.

"That's for you to decide. Goodbye, Ms Swan," he said.

"I…" I tried to say, be he had already hung up. I huffed and put the phone down, feeling anxious. I suddenly wished for Alice to be here. However, she wasn't. I was all alone in our apartment, just having heard from the man who had put our apartment on fire.

I sat down on the couch. Was I going to sleep here all alone with David _Ashton_ out there? It seemed impossible someone with the last name of 'Ashton' could be such a villain. I sighed and picked up the phone again, my hand slightly trembling.

"Hello?" Edward asked.

"Hi Edward, it's me. I need to ask you a favour," I said.

"Sure," he said.

"I just got a call from someone called David Ashton and I'm pretty convinced he is the one who put our apartment on fire. I'm just a little… scared, so perhaps you could come over for a little while?" I asked softly.

"He called you? How could he have gotten your number?" he asked. Him not immediately answering my question wasn't good for my nerves, which were already flying all over the place.

"How could I know?" I said, realising I sounded slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry. Of course I'll come over."

"Thank you so much, I'm not sure if I could survive a night alone here."

"No problem, I'll be there in ten," he said and hung up.

I sat on the couch, my feet tapping on the floor impatiently. I looked to my right, out of the window, into the darkness. The fact that we didn't have any curtains, was a little frightening and I shoved the couch a little backwards, so if I sat on it, I wouldn't be visible from the street.

I heard a knock just as I had shoved the couch and I jumped up, my heart racing. I rushed towards the door and let Edward in, relieved he was here.

"How are you coping?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"Badly, every sound makes me jump up and I'm suspicious of everything."

"Well, I'm here and nothing will happen. Let's watch a movie or would you rather go to bed right now?" he asked. As soon as he realised what he had said, he turned red.

"Of course, I didn't mean… It wasn't…" he muttered. I laughed and gave him a reassuring smile. Now that he had mentioned it like that, I suddenly wondered how we were going to do it with sleeping. We were dating, but was I fine with him sleeping in my bed with me? But it would be very rude to let him sleep on the couch. I did trust him enough to know that if we would both be sleeping in the same bed, he wouldn't try anything.

He seemed to know what I was thinking, as he put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll just sleep on the couch," he said.

"No, that's not necessary," I said. He raised one eyebrow and I gave him a small smile.

"All right, if you're fine with that."

"I am. Now, let's go to bed," I said, laughing as I turned around and walked to my bedroom.


	27. Chapter 27

**27 **

Edward told me he had already showered at home, so I walked into the bathroom to take a shower as Edward was getting ready for bed.

Even though I knew nothing would happen, I still felt a flutter in my stomach. I took a quick shower and put on my least revealing pyjamas.

I re-entered the bedroom and saw Edward was already lying in bed with his eyes closed. I crawled in bed and closed my eyes.

"Good night, love," he whispered.

"Good night," I said, before falling asleep.

The next morning, I woke up and saw Edward was still asleep. I walked to the kitchen and started making the breakfast, when I suddenly remembered Julia. I quickly got dressed and rushed towards my mailbox. As I opened it, my heart sped up as I saw a letter with my address handwritten on it.

I took it with the other mail to the kitchen and placed it on the counter. Ignoring my curiosity, I finished making breakfast and woke up Edward.

His hair was even messier than normal and I had to fight the urge to run my hands through it.

He smiled and thanked me as he saw the breakfast. Then he noticed the letter, giving me a questioning look. I nodded and a smile spread across his face.

I opened the letter and saw a full page, copied.

_To my daughter, Julia._

_As I have been made to understood, the story I have once told you about a certain William Ashton and his Elizabeth Masen was quite interesting to you. Knowing I am an old man, I'm writing down the information I have gathered from a former reverend, concerning these two people and, of course, the reverend.  
__The dear Elizabeth Masen was engaged to Jack Thompson, but very much in love with William Ashton. He, however, couldn't provide her with the fortune Jack could. So, Elizabeth had no choice but to marry Jack.  
__One night, the news of her death spread across town, quickly reaching William and the reverend. He was devastated and the whole town grieved for him, for the love between William and Elizabeth may have been tried to keep secret, most people knew about it.  
__William visited the reverend. He was in tears and looking horrible. In his hands he clutched a book. He sat down in the church, praying the entire afternoon.  
__When he left, he forgot the book. The reverend felt it his duty to bring it back and as he reached out to pick it up, his eyes fell on the sentence:_

'_My heart lies beneath the flower.'_

_He didn't know what it was about, but the sentence haunted his mind the following weeks.  
__As soon as he heard about the suicide of William, he knew it was his duty to provide a remembrance of them.  
__As I have told you many times, he pricked out a brick with a flower on it, which was placed in the wall of the church, and he placed a single note behind it, saying:_

'_May the love between Elizabeth Masen and William Ashton live on forever in this church, hidden behind a flower.'_

_He never mentioned it to anyone, except in the last week of his life. He passed it on to the reverend that had followed him up and like that the story has been going through the different reverends for many years now.  
__I hope this letter will suffice your need for this story. I may have broken the tradition of only telling it to the following reverend, but I don't regret it.  
__However, I must ask you to be careful. William's family is very careful when it's about William. I believe there must be something they want to keep secret. You may want to know as much about them as you can find, but some people would rather you wouldn't. Therefore, I hope you will control your curiosity and be happy with only this story._

_My eternal love,  
__Your father,  
__Alfred Lawrence_

My smile had disappeared while reading the last part of the letter. It reminded me of the strange phone call with David Ashton. Did this have to do anything with it? Edward seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"What could William have had to hide? He fell in love with Elizabeth when he was young and killed himself a day after Elizabeth died. What could he have done or said that was so horrible, his family is still trying to keep it a secret?" he asked.

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, I don't think that if I will find out, I will put in the article. I will finish it today and give it to my boss. I don't want to ruin the reputation of the Ashton's. It's their responsibility. However, that doesn't mean I'm not curious. But how in the world can I find out what the secret is?"

"I assume it will be very difficult. I think you should focus on the article today, your apartment the following few weeks and after that, you can think about this."

"You're right." I suddenly thought about Alice and Jasper, and the fact that they had bought an apartment. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Nothing, I just remembered the fact that Alice and Jasper will live together very soon. I will have to find a place for myself very quickly, but it's not that easy in London."

"Don't worry, you can always stay with me while you're searching," he said casually.

"Oh, I couldn't."

"Of course you could, where else would you stay?"

"I was actually hoping to rent something for a while," I said, realising that was an unrealistic hope.

"Well, you must do what you think is right. But remember my offer."

"I will," I told him

I spent the remainder of the afternoon finishing my article. I was glad with the end result and after all these months, I was happy it was done. Edward read it and after he had given his opinion about it, I made a few copies and sent one to my boss.

"Happy that's done?" Edward asked.

"You have no idea," I said, laughing.

Edward left and I called Alice, asking when she would come home. After she had told me she would come home after dinner, I decided it wouldn't hurt to bring the library a quick visit. Just to see if there was anything about William I could find.

I left the apartment, locked the door and made my way to the local library. Thankfully, it was still open and I entered. Inside, there weren't many people. Only one person browsing through the books and one person behind the counter, sitting on a chair and reading a book. It was a young woman, with glasses on her nose. As I walked in, she looked up and smiled politely. I returned the smile and made my way towards the history part.

My hand slid over all the book covers until I stopped at the part about the 19th century. My eyes swept over the years and I saw 1802.

A whole shelf was full of books about that year, but within half an hour I realised there was nothing useful in there. There had been a short news article, quite similar to the one I had found in the library of Birkhill Castle. It was about Elizabeth's suicide. I sighed and walked away, passing the counter.

The woman was still reading and I considered asking her. I stopped walking and turned towards her.

"Hello," I said softly, breaking the silence of the library. She looked up surprised and quickly placed her book on the counter. I quickly glanced at it and saw _The poetical works of Lord Byron. _I smiled as I recognized it. I turned my eyes towards her again.

"I was wondering if you could help me. I'm searching for information from 1802," I said.

"Our collection about 1802 is quite limited, but if you could give me the specifics of the information you need, I can see if there's any library near that could provide you with the right information." I quickly told her a little bit about William Ashton and saw her thoughtful look. She turned towards the computer.

"That's A-s-h-t ?" she asked and I confirmed. We were silent for a while and I listened to her fingers rapidly going across the keyboard.

"Ah, yes, here it is. A library in Brighton might have what you need."

"Brighton?" She nodded and smiled politely. "Thank you, can you perhaps give me the name of the library?"

"Hove Library, you can get there easily from Hove Station. Do you want me to contact them, telling them you want to rent that particular book?"

"Yes, thank you." She turned towards the computer again. When she was finished, I left the library and returned home, wondering when I would have time to go to Brighton.

It was Friday, so I didn't have to work again till Monday. I decided to go to Brighton on Saturday, asking Edward to come with me.

I made my way towards the apartment and saw through the window that the light was already on, indicating Alice was at home.


	28. Chapter 28

**28**

"Sure, I'll go with you," Edward said through the phone. We agreed on a time and hung up.

"What shall we do for dinner?" Alice asked from the living room.

"I'll just make something from the things we have," I answered and I walked to the kitchen. Alice followed me and we quickly prepared a simple meal.

"So, I was just wondering, have you perhaps seen an apartment you like?" Alice said, eyeing me carefully.

"No, not yet. I'm looking, though."

"That's fine, no hurry," she said, although I could see she wanted to move in with Jasper soon. I gave her a small smile and bent over to chop some vegetables.

"What did you think about Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Oh! I really liked them!" She said, while smiling broadly.

"I had a suspicion you might all get along. This is really great," I said.

"It is," she murmured, while smiling and concentrating on cooking.

We finished cooking and ate in the kitchen. Alice told me she was really tired and she went to bed.

I grabbed my article and before falling asleep, read it through once again and was quite content with it. However, there were always little things I wanted to change, but I knew that feeling would never leave and I was satisfied with it and hoped the magazine would turn out nicely.

The next morning, Edward and I met at the station. We would take the train to Hove Station, like the lady from the library had suggested, and then we would walk towards Hove Library.

In the train, I noticed that there weren't many people. Edward and I sat down across from each other. I looked out of the window and saw how the train started moving.

"Excited?" Edward asked, stopping my train of thought.

"Yes, a little bit. I'm not sure, though, if we'll find what we're looking for. It's possible the information about William hasn't been saved, if there even is information. Maybe his family is just very paranoid," I mused.

"Perhaps."

We arrived at Brighton and made it to the library within a few minutes. A man was sitting behind a large desk, paging through a large book. He acknowledged us with a small nod. I hesitantly walked up to him and coughed discreetly. He looked up with a slightly exasperated look upon his elderly face.

"Yes?"

"We're here for the book about 1802. The library from London called, I believe," I said.

"Yes, it's over there. _The complete history of 1802_." he said, pointing towards a large bookcase against the wall opposite of us. I nodded politely and walked towards, hearing Edward softly thank him.

The entire building seemed covered in dark wood from the inside. The floor, wall and bookcases were all made from a very dark, brown wood. A few old lamps hung on the ceiling, sleepily dangling because of the small draft coming from the door, which opened now and then when someone entered the library.

I heard our footsteps and pages rustling.

We arrived at the bookcase and I found the shelf, upon which was a small sign saying '1802'.

We both bent over slightly and searched for _The complete history of 1802. _

"Here it is," I heard Edward say. He took a large, green book out of the bookcase and we walked towards a table. We sat down on the chairs and placed the book on the table.

I opened the book and quickly glanced at the intro. I didn't see anything important, so I quickly paged through the book while my eyes were scanning the pages. As I had reached the end of the book, I hadn't found anything.

"Perhaps if you do it a little slower," Edward said, slightly amused. I nodded and started again.

This time, I found a text in the lower right corner of a page. It was written by an investigator. The date said 1806, so I wondered why it was in a book about 1802.

_Four years ago, when I had just become assigned to the_ Criminal Investigation Department_, I was put on my first real case. It was January of 1802 and I suddenly heard there had been three deads in two days.  
__A young woman, called Elizabeth Masen, had killed herself. The following day, both William Ashton and Jack Thompson died too. These two had both been involved in Elizabeth's life. Mr. Thompson was her fiancé, Mr. Ashton was her secret lover. Now, it was my task to find out what had happened exactly._

_First, Elizabeth Masen. It was a stormy night and her body was found on the beach, near her house. It was immediately clear that she had threw herself (or had been pushed?) off the cliff. The police investigated the body and it was found out that, to our surprise, Ms. Masen had been pregnant. Soon, we had our theories ready. The story we thought most likely, was that Elizabeth Masen got pregnant and that William Ashton was the father. She had to marry Jack Thompson and in her desperation, the only solution seemed to kill herself. So she did._

_Then there's the dead of both Jack and William.  
__The body of William and Jack both had been stabbed with the same knife. They died at around the same time, in the same room. It was very suspicious, but not very clear. Did they both want to die and did it together? Or did Jack kill William and then himself. Or the other way around? We had no idea.  
__We heard from the lab that Jack died just before William did, so that ruled out the scenario of Jack killing William. But did William kill Jack? Our investigation had reached a dead end._

_1806, Emily Thompson comes to the police station. She claims that she knows what happened that night. She says that she saw it all, but wasn't brave enough to tell the police. All these years, the secret had been eating at her. Now, four years later, she had to tell what had actually happened.  
__She started by saying how much she loved her brother and that what he had done, was out of jealousy and hurt. This is what she said:_

'_I went home that night, but I didn't see any lights on. I knew my parents were out and I assumed Jack would be out also. I entered the house and heard voices upstairs. William and Jack seemed to be in a heated argument. I softly ascended the stairs and listened to their conversation. I know it was wrong, but I was sixteen and curious.  
__I quickly understood it was about Elizabeth. Jack blamed William for her death and he wanted revenge. He did really love her, you know?  
__Anyway, I heard the sound of a blade being picked up and I got scared. I heard William shout something incoherent and I entered the room, not wanting anyone to get hurt.  
__Jack got distracted as he heard the door open and saw me. He had been charging William, but was now standing in the middle of the room, a blade in his hand. I remember how the moonlight reflected in it and threw the light back onto Jack's face in a very eery manner.  
__William was trembling in the corner of the room, but as Jack paused, he quickly charged forward, grabbed the blade and stabbed him to death. I remember how a scream got stuck in my throat and I ran away, but not before seeing how William stabbed himself and how he fell to the ground.  
__I left town the following morning and didn't return for a long time. My parents thought it was out of grieve, and it was, partly. But seeing how my brother got killed and how William killed himself, traumatized me and I've never fully gotten over it.'_

_So, with her report, our case was closed._

"Wow, this is horrible," I murmured softly. Edward agreed with a slow nod. "I would never have thought…" I didn't finish my sentence. I could imagine the scene through Emily Thompson's eyes, as a sixteen year old girl. How the dark room, with the moonlight shining through the window, embraced the menacing scene. I shivered and closed the book.

"I'm glad that I know this, somehow," I told Edward.

"Yes, me too. Just like the investigator said, now the case is closed. The story is finished and we can let it rest." I nodded.

"Do you think I'm allowed to make a copy of this?" I asked him.

"I don't know, you could ask that man," he said, pointing towards the man behind the desk. I walked towards him with the book in my hand.

"Can I make a copy of a page in this book?"

"Yes, sure. The copy machine is in the small room through that door," he said, pointing at a certain door. I thanked him and walked towards it, beckoning Edward.

We quickly made two copies of the page and placed the book back in the book case.

"Let's go home," Edward said and we walked towards the train station.

During the train ride home, both Edward and I reread the page.

In London, Edward and I split up. He went to his apartment and I went to mine. As I entered the apartment, I saw a note on the kitchen counter, it was from Alice and it told me that she was having dinner with Jasper. I sighed and took the copied page out of my jacket.

I walked towards my closet and placed it together with all the other information I had gathered about William and Elizabeth in these past few months. _The case is closed._ It felt weird to consider the story over and done. How weird it may have sounded, I felt like I was going to miss them.

I closed the closet and quickly ate my dinner. I was surprised as I saw how early it was, I was already feeling exhausted.

I quickly rushed towards the phone as it started ringing.

"Yes?"

"Bella, it's Mrs. Dawson," my boss said.

"Hello Mrs. Dawson, have you received my article?"

"Yes, I have. It's very good. I just wanted to compliment you on it and thank you for sending it to me. Monday we will start with the Masen-magazine."

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it."

"Yes, me too. I'll see you Monday," she said. We said goodbye and hung up.

I turned off most of the lights and went to bed.

Lying in bed, I started thinking about David Ashton. My article was being published, even though he had warned me against it. But he didn't want it published, because he was afraid I would reveal William's murder. I didn't though. And even if I would, I wouldn't be the first one, it had already been revealed in _The complete history of 1802. _Perhaps because the magazine was something a lot of people would read, also people who knew the Ashton's, he didn't want it published. I sighed and tried not to feel afraid of him. I tried to tell myself that even though he had set fire to our apartment, he wouldn't hurt me. He just didn't want me to ruin his family, and I wouldn't.

I tossed and turned for a while and eventually fell asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

**29**

The following Monday, I spent the entire day at work on the Masen-magazine (as we had all started calling it).

We hadden gotten quite far and so far it was starting to look pretty good. I hadn't heard from David Ashton yet and wasn't expecting to. As long as I wouldn't mention the murder committed by William, I would be fine.

That afternoon, Edward had asked me to come to have lunch with him. I walked through the streets of London as I searched for the restaurant he had mentioned.

Eventually, I found it and entered it, looking around for Edward.

"May I help you?" A waitress asked me, smiling politely.

"No, thank you," I told her, while I had spotted Edward. He waved and I smiled back, making my way towards him.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, standing up to greet me. We both sat down and ordered lunch.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Fine, perhaps a bit sad that the story about Elizabeth and William is definitely over now," I said, laughing softly.

"I understand what you, I feel the same. But I'm sure there will come up another interesting subject soon enough." I agreed with him and took a sip from my water.

"Have you heard anything from Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked him.

"Yes, I have. They told me how well they got along with Alice and Jasper. I think we should rearrange a meeting between the six of us again sometime," he told me.

"Yes, that would be great. Alice told me how much she and Jasper liked Rosalie and Emmett."

"That's great," Edward said. We both leaned back – realising how much we were leaning into each other – as the waitress brought our food.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Edward suddenly said. I watched him lean over and grab something from under the table. I saw a little box in his hands and my heart sped up.

"This is a gift, because you have finished your article," he said, smiling as he handed me the box.

"You shouldn't give me gift," I said, blushing.

"Of course I should. You worked really hard on that article and I, along with everyone else, am very proud of you. And I like giving you gifts," he said, winking. I slowly opened the box and saw a silver bracelet. I gasped and looked at it adoringly.

"It's beautiful," I said softly.

"But still pales in comparison," he said, smiling. He helped me get it on.

"Thank you so much," I said, leaning over to give him kiss. He returned it and I broke apart when I realised we were in the middle of a restaurant. He pouted slightly and I laughed. He rolled his eyes and gave me a loving smile.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and eventually I was sad to leave. He went back to his apartment and I walked around town a bit, before returning home. Alice and Jasper were both home and they were sitting on the couch.

"Bella, we would like to… to show you the apartment we found. We thought you would like to see it," Alice said cheerfully. I knew they didn't think I would like to see it, but they wanted me to realise that I really needed to find an apartment of my own. I sighed and tried to look as cheerful as I could manage.

"Great, yes, I would love to see it," I said to them. They smiled awkwardly and got up.

We took the tube and got out at a nice district of London.

"We haven't bought it yet, but it's practically ours. When you sell–" Alice nudged Jasper to shut him up. He smiled awkwardly and looked away. Alice smiled and shrugged.

We entered the apartment and I was astonished as I saw how perfect it was. It had lovely cream walls, beautiful wooden floors and windows that had a beautiful view over London. I smiled as I walked around, shaking my head in amazement as I saw the beautiful kitchen.

"Guys, this is amazing! I can understand why you fell in love with this."

"Yes, it is pretty great. We will have our couch over here and…" I watched Alice as she was imagining where to put her furniture. She looked very excited and I felt guilty for keeping them from living together.

"I'm sure it will look fantastic," I said, as Alice had finished. "I have actually already found a few appealing apartments, so don't worry. I will find a place really quickly," lying just a little bit. I didn't want them to feel guilty or worry. And I _would_ find a place quickly, I needed to.

"That's great, Bella. We will definitely help you," Jasper said. I thanked him and we left the apartment.

"Let's have dinner at our usual pizza place," Alice suggested. I was reminded of the dinner we had just before I left for Birkhill Castle. I smiled and realised how much my life had changed since then.

"Yes, that would great." We took the tube and arrived there. I loved how familiar everything was and we easily fell into some mindless chatter. It took my thoughts away from the worries about the apartment and I was grateful for that.

"That was delicious," Jasper said, laughing as we left the pizza place and went home. Jasper went home to his own apartment and Alice and I sat down on the couch in ours, deciding what to do for the rest of the evening.

"Let's have a girl's night, just like we used to have in college," Alice suggested. I used to protest against it, but somehow it felt like this could be the last one in a long time. If Alice was going to live with Jasper, the girl's nights would become rare. So, this time I didn't protest. Alice seemed to realise the meaning of this one too, for we were both in a bit of a melancholy mood.

Alice gave me a make-over and we made all kinds of snacks that weren't very healthy, but very delicious.

Until late in the evening, we laid on the couch, talking. Eventually, we both went to my bedroom and fell asleep on my bed.

The next day, at work, I worked on the Masen-magazine again. If everything went well, the magazine could be done within two weeks. I was looking forward to it, but also afraid of the reviews I would get.

Edward called me over to his place and reassured me.

Eventually, he got me to admit I was also worrying about finding an apartment.

"Are you really that worried about an apartment?"

"Yes, it's really that bad. I know, I'm just exaggerating."

"No, I understand. It can be horrible trying to find an apartment in London," he said.

"Yes, exactly. But I need to do it quickly, I can't keep Alice and Jasper waiting for much longer. They have been so patient and kind, I feel so guilty."

"Just stay with me, until you've found an apartment of your own."

"Fine," I said.

"Or not," he said quizzically.

"What do you mean?"I said, frowning.

"Perhaps you don't need to find an apartment of your own," he said, a smirk on his face.

"What…? Ah, I see what you mean," I said, blushing slightly and a small smile spreading across my face.

"Well, what do you say?"

"I don't know. I've only known you for half a year," I told him, not sure what I wanted.

"Just do what feels good," he said, as he put his arm around me.

"Then I suggest you go home and make some room for me,"I said, smiling as he leaned forward and kissed me.

**The end**


End file.
